Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, 28009 Madrid, España.
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER). ISCIII, Madrid, España.
Rev Neurol. 2022 Jun 1;74(11):361-366. doi: 10.33588/rn.7411.2022033.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased frequency of peripheral facial nerve palsy has been described in adults and children. The etiology of the disease during this time remains unclear, since most cases occurred in patients who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Retrospective study of pediatric cases of facial nerve palsy treated during the first year of the pandemic in the emergency department of a children´s hospital located in one of the areas with the highest prevalence of COVID-19 in Spain. Data from this period are compared with cases from the previous three years.
Twenty-nine patients with Bell's palsy were included. Over the previous three years combined, 24 patients presented with the same condition, a more than threefold increase. No clinical differences were found between the groups apart from the fact that fewer patients received corticosteroids during the pandemic (13.8% vs 41.6%; p = 0.022). Fourteen children underwent microbiologic testing for active SARS-CoV-2 infection (12 polymerase chain reaction, two rapid antigen test); all were negative. Thirteen patients received serologic testing, two with a positive IgG (15.3%).
A substantial increase in hospital presentations for facial nerve palsy was observed among children and adolescents during the first year of the pandemic, though findings of microbiologic testing cannot confirm a direct link with SARS-CoV-2 infection in most cases. Patient characteristics did not change between the two time periods. Difficulty accessing primary-care facilities during the pandemic in Spain may have played a role in this increase.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，成人和儿童中描述了外周面神经麻痹的频率增加。在此期间，该疾病的病因尚不清楚，因为大多数病例发生在 SARS-CoV-2 感染检测呈阴性的患者中。
回顾性研究了在西班牙 COVID-19 高发地区之一的一家儿童医院急诊科治疗的大流行第一年期间发生的儿科面神经麻痹病例。将此期间的数据与前三年的病例进行比较。
共纳入 29 例贝尔麻痹患者。在前三年中，共有 24 例患者出现相同情况，增加了三倍多。除了大流行期间接受皮质类固醇治疗的患者较少（13.8%比 41.6%；p=0.022）外，两组之间没有发现临床差异。14 例儿童接受了针对活动性 SARS-CoV-2 感染的微生物学检测（12 例聚合酶链反应，2 例快速抗原检测）；均为阴性。13 例患者接受了血清学检测，其中 2 例 IgG 阳性（15.3%）。
在大流行的第一年，儿童和青少年因面神经麻痹而住院的人数大幅增加，但微生物学检测结果不能在大多数情况下证实与 SARS-CoV-2 感染的直接联系。两个时间段之间患者特征没有变化。西班牙大流行期间难以获得初级保健设施可能在这一增加中发挥了作用。
