[Bell's palsy in HIV infection]

Abstract

Neurological complications represent one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection or AIDS. The peripheral nervous system is frequently involved in different stages of HIV disease, and the etiopathogenetic mechanisms are various. Idiopathic peripheral facial nerve palsy (Bell's palsy) has been considered by several Authors as one of the possible neurologic complications of HIV infection, mainly described in the early stages. As a matter of fact when facial palsy onsets in the late stages of the disease, when there is a severe immunodeficiency, usually is secondary to opportunistic infections, polyradiculopathy, or tumors involving the nervous system. To our knowledge, in the current literature there are few clinical studies reporting facial palsy associated to HIV infection. Since 1986 till 1992 three HIV infected patients with Bell's palsy have come to our observation. All three of them were asymptomatic (CDC II) and in one of them was the first clinical manifestation indicating HIV infection. The palsy in this patient and those reported by others was self-limiting with a good prognosis.