What is the Difference Between Bell’s Palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

The key difference between Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome is that Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes temporary facial paralysis or weakness that develops over hours to a day or two, without a rash, while Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a condition that causes permanent facial paralysis with a rash.

Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome are two medical conditions that cause facial paralysis or weakness. Both these conditions can be a result of viral infections. Moreover, they are treated through vaccinations and specific medications.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Bell’s Palsy 
3. What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
4. Similarities – Bell’s Palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
5. Bell’s Palsy vs Ramsay Hunt Syndrome in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Bell’s Palsy vs Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

What is Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes temporary facial paralysis or weakness in the muscles of the face. The condition normally does not cause any rash. Due to this condition, one side of the face droops or becomes stiff. However, this condition is temporary, and the symptoms will go away within weeks or months. Bell’s palsy occurs when the seventh cranial nerve becomes swollen due to viral infections such as herpes simplex, HIV, herpes zoster virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. This condition can also be triggered by bacterial infections like Lyme disease.

The signs and symptoms of this condition include the inability to wrinkle the face, inability to close eyes, drooping eyes, asymmetrical facial muscle tone, loss of nasolabial fold, drooping mouth, asymmetrical smile, dry mouth, altered taste, drooling, sensitivity to sound, difficulty eating and drinking, muscle twitches in the face, irritation in the eye, fever, and headache. Bell’s palsy can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood test, MRI, CT scan, electromyography (EMG) test, and lumber puncture. Furthermore, treatment options for Bell’s palsy may include medications such as corticosteroid drugs, antiviral or antibacterial drugs, over-the-counter pain relievers (ibuprofen or acetaminophen), eye drops, a warm, moist towel over the face, facial massage, and physical therapy.

What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a condition that leads to permanent facial paralysis due to varicella-zoster virus infections, including chickenpox or shingles (herpes zoster). The signs and symptoms of this condition include a painful rash on the eardrum, fluid-filled blisters, rash on the tongue, severe ear pain, tinnitus, increased sensitivity to sounds, hearing loss on one side, dry eyes and mouth, hoarseness, loss of sense of taste, and social anxiety.

Moreover, Ramsay Hunt syndrome is diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests such as saliva or blood tests, and MRI scans. Furthermore, treatment options for Ramsay Hunt syndrome may include antiviral drugs, corticosteroids, pain relievers, drugs for vertigo, anti-seizure drugs such as carbamazepine, cold compress, wearing an eye patch, using artificial eye tears or eye lubricants, and surgical procedures.

What are the Similarities Between Bell’s Palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?

• Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome are two medical conditions that cause facial paralysis.
• Both conditions occur due to affected cranial nerves.
• These conditions can be caused by viral infections.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and blood tests.
• They are treated through specific medications.

What is the Difference Between Bell’s Palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?

Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes temporary facial paralysis or weakness that develops over hours to a day or two without a rash, while Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a condition that causes permanent facial paralysis with a rash. Thus, this is the key difference between Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Furthermore, Bell’s palsy is triggered due to viral infections such as herpes simplex, HIV, herpes zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and bacterial infections like Lyme disease. On the other hand, Ramsay hunt syndrome is triggered due to varicella-zoster virus infection.

The below infographic presents the differences between Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Bell’s Palsy vs Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome are two medical conditions that cause facial paralysis or asymmetry. Both these conditions occur due to cranial nerve damage by viral infections. Bell’s palsy causes temporary facial paralysis or weakness that develops over hours to a day or two without a rash, while Ramsay Hunt syndrome causes permanent facial paralysis with a rash. So, this summarizes the difference between Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Reference:

1. Kahn, April. “Bell’s Palsy: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Outlook.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
2. “Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (Herpes Zoster Oticus): Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Bell’s Palsy Symptoms Mouth Wide Open” By Benjaminginterr – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “ShinglesDay1” By Mariegriffiths at the English-language Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia