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?
Based on the symptoms, we can predict that the patient has Bell's palsy. The loss of taste, dry mouth, inability to close the right eye, are the effects of the swelling and inflammation of the cranial nerves (VII) or facial nerves in reaction to the infection.