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 exact cause of Bell’s palsy is unknown, but it is often linked to having a viral infection. It affects the cranial nerve VII or the facial nerve that is responsible for various functions like blinking, facial expression, and involvement in taste – functions which are dysfunctional in the patient.