Adnan Khan, Zafar Ali.
Bells palsy management: acyclovir in combination with prednisolone versus prednisolone alone, a comparative study.
Gomal J Med Sci Jan ;10(1):114-8.

Background: Bell’s palsy is an idiopathic facial nerve palsy of sudden onset. There are controversies re-garding its optimal treatment. The objective of this study was to find out whether prednisolone and acyclovir given in combination is superior to prednisolone alone. Methods: This hospital-based comparative study was carried out in Neurology Unit, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, from January 2009 to September 2011. A total of 415 patients with Bell’s palsy, aged > 7 years were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A received prednisolone and acyclovir in combination while Group B re-ceived prednisolone alone. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Results: Out of 415 patients, 185(44.58%) were males and 230(55.42%) females. Mean age was 38.52+ 11.42 years. Group A had 209 patients and Group B 206. They were followed for 4 months. Group A had 94.7% recovery rate while Group B had 87.3% (p<0.05). Conclusion: Acyclovir and prednisolone in combination is more beneficial than prednisolone alone in the treatment of Bell’s palsy.

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