Your patient recently had a viral infection and now she cannot move the muscles on the right side of her face. In addition, she is experiencing a loss of taste and dry mouth and she cannot close her right eye. Which cranial nerves have been affected by the viral infection?
Considering that the patient cannot move her muscles on the right side of her face and experiences loss of taste as well as dryness of the mouth, the symptoms observed from the patient can conclude that the VII Facial cranial nerve is affected by the viral infection the patient experienced. In nuclear or infranuclear ("peripheral") lesions, there is a partial to complete facial paralysis with smoothing of the brow, the opening of the eye, flat nasolabial fold, and drooping of the mouth ipsilateral to the lesion (Hall et al., 1990). Additionally, the sensory or intermediate nerve includes taste to the two-thirds of the tongue is affected, which explains the patient's loss of taste. As for the patient's mouth dryness, two of the three pairs of salivary glands are stimulated by the facial nerve; if damaged, less saliva is produced, leading to mouth dryness (Facial Palsy UK, 2020).
Sources:
Walker HK. Cranial Nerve VII: The Facial Nerve and Taste. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, editors. Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd edition. Boston: Butterworths; 1990. Chapter 62. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK385/
Bell's Palsy: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5457-bells-palsy
Facial Palsy UK. (2020, February 16). Dry Mouth Advice. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.facialpalsy.org.uk/support/patient-guides/dry-mouth-advice/