Primary care diagnosis and management of Bell's palsy.

Bell's palsy, an idiopathic facial paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve, is an important entity for clinicians to identify early because prognosis is more favorable with early intervention. Although the etiology is unknown, recent studies have indicated a familial tendency and increased incidence in patients with a history of diabetes, arterial hypertension and serum lipid disturbances. The specificity and severity of signs and symptoms are determined by the facial nerve fibers affected. Various diagnostic tests become an important factor in determining not only the differential diagnoses but also the severity of the occurrence and the prognosis for recovery.