Bell's palsy associated with influenza vaccination: Two case reports

AbstractRecurrent lower motor neurone facial paralysis in successive pregnancies is a rare phenomenon of which there are few case reports in the literature. There have been two previous reports of recurrent Bell's palsy in two and three successive pregnancies respectively, but it is felt that these should have more appropriately been reported as recurrent lower motor neurone facial paralysis in pregnancy as, by definition, any facial paralysis that recurs should not be classified as Bell's palsy even though Bell himself commented on the association between facial paralysis and pregnancy. We report the first case of recurrent lower motor neurone facial paralysis in four successive pregnancies and review the literature.

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Sequential contralateral facial nerve palsies following COVID-19 vaccination first and second doses

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2021-243829 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. e243829

Author(s):

Abigail Burrows ◽

Theo Bartholomew ◽

James Rudd ◽

David Walker

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Facial Nerve ◽

Nerve Palsy ◽

Facial Nerve Palsy ◽

Case Reports ◽

Bell’S Palsy ◽

First Episode ◽

Bell's Palsy ◽

First Case ◽

History Of

A 61-year-old man presented to the ENT emergency clinic with a history of unilateral facial nerve palsy occurring shortly after each dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The first episode developed 5 hours after administration of the first dose and the second 2 days after administration of the second dose. Investigations at initial presentation to the emergency department were unremarkable, and the patient was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy on both occasions. We describe the first case of Bell’s palsy occurring after each dose of any UK-approved COVID-19 vaccine. Single episodes of unilateral facial nerve palsies have been reported in clinical trials and in subsequent case reports. There has been no evidence, however, of an episode after each dose. We also describe the earliest onset of symptoms from timing of administration of the vaccine, further suggesting the Bell’s palsy was associated with the vaccine.

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Development of Bell's Palsy after Influenza Vaccination

Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.3342/kjorl-hns.2013.56.11.726 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 56 (11) ◽

pp. 726

Author(s):

Jung Woo Lee ◽

Jae Hun Lee ◽

Sung Ho Choi ◽

Seok Min Hong

Keyword(s):

Influenza Vaccination ◽

Bell’S Palsy ◽

Bell's Palsy

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A Case of Idiopathic Acquired Neonatal Bell’s Palsy

Journal of Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports ◽

10.1177/2324709620930161 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 232470962093016

Author(s):

Alyson R. Pierick ◽

Elan Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Oral Corticosteroid ◽

Case Reports ◽

Oral Prednisone ◽

Bell’S Palsy ◽

Normal Brain ◽

Bell's Palsy ◽

Specific Population ◽

Steroid Use ◽

Common Causes ◽

Rare Diagnosis

Neonatal idiopathic Bell’s palsy is a very rare diagnosis with only a few previously published case reports of infants responding well to oral corticosteroid use. This trial therapy likely comes from adult data where clinical outcomes are improved following steroid use, although the data in childhood cases are equivocal. In this specific population of infants <28 days of age at presentation, the most common causes of Bell’s palsy include congenital, birth trauma, and syndromic (likely with no indication for steroid treatment). In those with noncongenital Bell’s palsy, infectious and structural causes should first be ruled out. In this article, we present the third known case report of a 16-day-old presenting with acute Bell’s palsy with negative infectious workup and normal brain imaging. He was treated with a 7-day course of oral prednisone and had eventual resolution of symptoms.

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Association between Influenza Vaccination and the Risk of Bell’s Palsy in the Korean Elderly

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9070746 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 746

Author(s):

Nayoung Jeong ◽

Yejee Kim ◽

Chungjong Kim ◽

Sangmin Park ◽

Joongyub Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Influenza Vaccination ◽

The Elderly ◽

Bell’S Palsy ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Bell's Palsy ◽

Registration Data ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Control And Prevention ◽

Korean Elderly

Previous studies have shown controversial results on the risk of Bell’s palsy after influenza vaccination. Since the antigenic components of influenza vaccine can vary from season to season, continuous safety monitoring is required. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there was an increased risk of Bell’s palsy in the elderly after influenza vaccination between the 2015/2016 and 2017/2018 flu seasons. This study included the elderly who received influenza vaccinations for three flu seasons using a large-linked database of vaccination registration data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the National Health Insurance Service claims data. We used a self-controlled risk interval design with a risk interval of 1 to 42 days and a control interval of 57 to 98 days postvaccination and calculated the incidence rate ratio. To ensure the robustness of the results, sensitivity analyses were also carried out with different risk and control intervals. Of 4,653,440 elderly people who received the influenza vaccine, there was no statistically significant increase in the risk of Bell’s palsy (IRR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.92–1.07). Similar results were found in analysis results for each season and the results of the sensitivity analyses excluding the 2017/2018 season. In conclusion, we found no evidence of an increased risk of Bell’s palsy after influenza vaccination. The results of our study provide reassurance about the safety of the influenza vaccine NIP program. However, it is necessary to continuously monitor the risk of Bell’s palsy during future flu seasons.

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