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?
The contracted viral infection caused the inflammation of the patient's right facial (VII) nerve which can be observed through the given symptoms. Furthermore, the inflammation of this nerve causes the inability to contract the skeletal muscles in the affected area of the face and the inability to convey sensory impulses of taste buds on the tongue, leading to Bell's Palsy.