Bell palsy and facial palsy due to stroke

 Bell palsy vs facial palsy due to stroke  

The two most common causes of acute facial paralysis are Bell’s palsy and ischemic stroke

Facial weakness can be caused by strokes in many different locations in the brain and brainstem. Strokes involving the brain typically cause central facial weakness that involves the mouth and spares the eye and forehead. Strokes involving the brainstem can sometimes cause weakness of the mouth, eye and forehead–mimicking a peripheral lesion. In these cases however, there will be other focal neurologic deficits. A review of systems and neurologic examination can help to identify signs and symptoms of stroke.

Bell's palsy is a condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and significantly improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of the face appear to droop. Smiles are one-sided, and the eye on the affected side resists closing.

Bell palsy vs facial palsy due to stroke  

Topic	Upper motor type/ stroke		Lower motor type/ bell’s palsy
Age	>60 years		20 -50
Time course	Second to minutes		Few hours to few days
Upper face	Usually not affected		Affected
Lower face	Affected		Affected
Associate symptoms	•      Rapid onset of mild weakness to total paralysis on one side of your face — occurring within hours to days •      Facial droop and difficulty making facial expressions, such as closing your eye or smiling •      Drooling •      Pain around the jaw or in or behind your ear on the affected side •      Increased sensitivity to sound on the affected side •      Headache •      A loss of taste •      Changes in the amount of tears and saliva you produce	stroke causing isolated left lower facial weakness. There’s a flattened nasolabial fold & inability to smile on the affected side with sparing of the forehead &  eye closure muscles. Weakness or numbness in the arm or leg: Weakness or numbness can occur either on the same side as the facial palsy, or on the opposite side, Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia): Dysphagia secondary to brainstem ischemi