The effect of vitamin D levels on prognosis of patients with facial paralysis

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] levels of patients with Bell’s palsy (BP), andto evaluate their role in prognosis and their impact on the disease etiology.Patients and Methods: A total of 49 patients (30 males, 19 females; mean age: 42.2±13.6 years; range, 19 to 67 years) who werediagnosed with BP and treated at our clinic between October 2019 and April 2020 were included. Blood samples were collected within24 h after the onset of BP symptoms, and a standard oral pharmacological treatment was administered with prednisolone 1 mg/kgfor 10 days and acyclovir 700 mg/day for six days. All patients were graded according to the House-Brackmann scale (HBS). Thepatients were divided into three groups as Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade ≥4. The patients with BP were further divided into two groups ashealed (n=36) and not-healed ones (n=13). The vitamin D levels of the groups were compared.Results: Eleven (22%) patients were in the Grade 2 group, 21 (43%) patients were in the Grade 3 group, and 17 (35%) patientswere in the Grade ≥4 group. A significant decrease in vitamin D levels was observed in the patients with HBS Grade ≥4, comparedto Grade 3 and Grade 2 groups (p=0.002 and p