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Case Reports
. 2025 May 21;17(5):e84563.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.84563. eCollection 2025 May.

Child With Human Herpesvirus 6 and Bell's Palsy: Case Report and Overview of the Literature

Loren Adler  1 , Avery Schroeder  1 , Paul Carney  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Child With Human Herpesvirus 6 and Bell's Palsy: Case Report and Overview of the Literature

Loren Adler et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Peripheral facial nerve palsy (pFP), or Bell's palsy, does occur in the pediatric population, although it is rare. Numerous infectious etiologies of pFP are known, but up to 75% of pediatric pFP cases are idiopathic. Empiric treatment typically involves steroids and antivirals, and etiologic testing is not frequently conducted. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been reported as a possible cause of pFP in both adults and children. We report a case of a 17-month-old female who presented with pFP and had a history of HHV-6 infection five months prior to presentation. This case may represent another instance of HHV-6 as a potential causative agent of pFP. While it cannot be stated with certainty, this finding lends itself to the consideration of HHV-6 as a cause of pFP, both in the setting of acute infection and viral reactivation.

Keywords: bell's palsy; hhv-6; peripheral facial nerve palsy; roseola; viral reactivation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. University of Missouri Institutional Review Board issued approval N/A. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Patient photo, demonstrating paralysis of right upper and lower face (photo taken with cellphone front camera, shortly prior to ED presentation). Photo utilized and published with consent from the parent.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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