This is patient AM, 28-year-old male who came in the ER because of drooping of his left face. He said he woke up and he could not move his left face. He has no other muscle weakness. He is conscious and coherent although he had a little difficulty speaking because the left side of his lips drooped. He had normal blood pressure and he had no other co-morbidities. He was diagnosed to have Bell’s palsy. Name 5 muscles which are affected and list its actions. Describe the mechanism of his muscle weakness. What other symptoms could the patient exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness?
The muscles affected in Bell’s palsy are occipitofrontalis which raises eyebrows and wrinkles the skin of the forehead, orbicularis oculi which closes the eyelids, orbicularis oris which closes the mouth and puckers the lips, buccinator which aids in mastication and tightens the cheek, and platysma which depresses the mandible and tenses the skin of the neck. Bell’s palsy happens due to damage or disease of the facial (VII) nerve, possibly because of an ear infection, ear surgery, or infection by the herpes simplex virus. It results in drooping of one side of the face. Patients may recover completely within a few weeks to a few months but for others, the paralysis may be permanent. Other symptoms that the patient could exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness are difficulty speaking, eating, or drinking, drooling, dry eyes, facial or ear pain, headache, loss of taste, tinnitus, and sensitivity to sounds (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).
Reference
Cleveland Clinic (n.d.). Bell’s palsy. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5457-bells-palsy