p 126: the relationship between bell`s palsy and diabetes

bell`s palsy is explained as a sudden paralysis/paresis of all muscle groups on one side of the face due to inflammation of facial nerve, the frequency of bell palsy in diabetic patients is a matter of controversy. there are some reports that refer to bell`s palsy as occurring more commonly in patients with diabetes, or even prediabetes. amosd, korczyn in his studies had shown that a high frequency of diabetes mellitus is reported in patients presenting with bell's palsy; the frequency was 45% at age ten to nineteen, and increased with age, the frequency for the whole patient being 66%.it also was reported the rates of diabetes and hypertension in association with bell's palsy were significantly high compared with those of the general population. but according to most authors, the percentage of diabetics among patients with bell palsy is not higher than in the general population, kudoh et al reported that noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (niddm) or hypertension doesn’t seem to have any specific influence on palsy scores and electroneuronography results, although patients with both niddm and hypertension are slow to recover. according to the information that is available about the relationship between bell`s palsy and diabetes, we can’t report the exact results about this relationship and the frequency of bell's palsy in diabetic patients is a matter of controversy.