Bell Palsy: Dilemma of Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract
Among 395 patients, each of whom had a single episode of Bell palsy, 6.4% had known diabetes mellitus. The two-hour postprandial blood glucose level was ≥ 120 mg/100 ml in 54 (23.3%) of 232 consecutive unselected members tested. Ten of the fifty-four (4.3% of 232) showed chemical or overt diabetes on glucose tolerance test. Forty-five percent of nondiabetic and 76% of diabetic subjects untreated for Bell palsy showed clinically complete paralysis; 20% of nondiabetic and 53% of diabetic patients showed complete or partial muscle denervation. The relation of Bell palsy, an ischemic paralysis, to diabetes mellitus does not appear to be causal but does appear adversely prognostic—the diabetic patient is much more likely than the nondiabetic to display clinical evidence of nerve compression.