[An assessment of psychological stress in patients with facial palsy].

OBJECTIVES

Facial palsy may cause excessive stress due to the obviousness of its manifestations. We evaluated psychological stress in patients with facial palsy.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

Subjects were 57 patients with Bell's palsy, 12 with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and 11 with zoster sine herpete. Eighteen of 50 questions from the Psychological Stress Response Scale (PSRS) were selected and used to in a questionnaire completed by each patient on 2 separate occasions the first hospital visit and after recovery from facial palsy. They also completed a second bodily condition questionnaire before and after treatment.

RESULTS

The psychological stress response score of patients with facial palsy was high on the first visit. Intermediate and high psychological stress were observed in 35% on the first visit. These psychological stress response score decreased after recovery from facial palsy. The psychological stress response of patients under 65 years of age in those over 65 years. No gender difference was seen in psychological stress response. Those with herpes zoster showed a higher psychological stress response than others and this decreased after recovery from facial palsy.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological stress response score of patients with facial palsy was high on the first hospital visit, suggesting that we must treat the psychological aspects of this manifestation by adequately explaining prognosis and pathology, in addition to physical therapy.