Early treatment with prednisolone or acyclovir in Bell's palsy.

Frank M Sullivan, Iain R C Swan, Peter T Donnan, Jillian M Morrison, Blair H Smith, Brian McKinstry, Richard J Davenport, Luke D Vale, Janet E Clarkson, Victoria Hammersley, Sima Hayavi, Anne McAteer, Ken Stewart, Fergus Daly

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Corticosteroids and antiviral agents are widely used to treat the early stages of idiopathic facial paralysis (i.e., Bell's palsy), but their effectiveness is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, factorial trial involving patients with Bell's palsy who were recruited within 72 hours after the onset of symptoms. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 10 days of treatment with prednisolone, acyclovir, both agents, or placebo. The primary outcome was recovery of facial function, as rated on the House-Brackmann scale. Secondary outcomes included quality of life, appearance, and pain. RESULTS: Final outcomes were assessed for 496 of 551 patients who underwent randomization. At 3 months, the proportions of patients who had recovered facial function were 83.0% in the prednisolone group as compared with 63.6% among patients who did not receive prednisolone (P
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalThe New England Journal of Medicine
    Volume357
    Issue number16
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 18 Oct 2007

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