Bell’s palsy was suspected to be a side effect of vaccination against Covid-19. However, it would be more present in people infected with the Covid-19 virus than in vaccinated people.
- Bell’s palsy may not be a side effect of the Covid-19 vaccine
- Patients infected with Covid-19 are more likely to have Bell’s palsy than those who have been vaccinated
Bell’s palsy is the most common peripheral facial palsy. This is also called idiopathic facial paralysis or in fridge. According to a study published in the journal Jama Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgerypeople who have been infected with Covid-19 are more likely to develop this pathology, compared to those who have been vaccinated.
Bell’s palsy, the most common peripheral facial palsy
According to health insurance website, Bell’s palsy accounts for 72% of peripheral facial paralysis. It would affect between 15 and 30 people out of 100,000 and would be as common in men as in women. In the majority of cases, this pathology appears around the age of forty. It happens suddenly when a facial nerve is inflamed or swollen. Thus, the individual generally has symptoms such as facial paralysis or loss of muscle control on one side of the face, difficulty smiling or closing the affected eye. These manifestations are usually accompanied by pain in the jaw, ear or head. Most often, Bell’s palsy disappears naturally after a few weeks or months and there are treatments to speed up this process. So far, the cause or causes of this disease remain unknown and most patients do not have sequelae.
No more Bell’s palsy cases after vaccine
The question the authors wanted to answer was whether the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 was associated with an increased risk of peripheral facial nerve palsy? This disease has been diagnosed in a small number of vaccine recipients and is therefore suspected to be a side effect. Specifically, in phase 3 clinical trials of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines found that about 19 out of 100,000 people develop Bell’s palsy. The researchers therefore wanted to dig deeper and analyzed the clinical data of more than 348,000 patients who had been infected with Covid-19 and around 64,000 who had been vaccinated. According to their results, no association between acute facial paralysis and recent vaccination was observed. Moreover, despite rapid and widespread vaccination of the population, a similar volume of admissions for facial paralysis was observed compared to the same period in previous years.
More cases of Bell’s palsy in Covid-19 positive patients
“In the early days of the vaccine’s availability, several media outlets reported on vaccination-associated Bell’s palsy, explains Dr. Akina Tamaki, one of the authors, at the UPI news site. Such concerns could erode confidence in the vaccine and exacerbate public hesitancy.. Our data suggests Bell’s palsy rates are higher in Covid-19 positive patients and this incidence exceeds the reported incidence… with the vaccine“To date, therefore, there is no scientific evidence to establish a link between Bell’s palsy and the Covid-19 vaccine.
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