II. Causes: General
- Bell's Palsy is idiopathic
- Below are listed other causes of Facial Nerve Paralysis
III. Causes: Common
-
Peripheral Nerve causes (Facial Muscle paralysis with forehead affected)
- Lyme Disease
- Otits Media or Mastoiditis
- Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
- Autoimmune Polyneuropathy (e.g. Guillain-Barre Syndrome, typically bilateral)
- Head or Neck Mass Lesion (e.g. Cholesteatoma)
- Central/Supranuclear causes (Facial Muscle paralysis with forehead spared)
- Cerebral mass lesion (e.g. tumor)
- Cerebrovascular Accident (typically with ipsilateral Hemiparesis or Hemiplegia)
- Multiple Sclerosis
IV. Causes: Trauma
- Cortical injury
- Temporal Bone Fracture
- Brain Stem injury
- Penetrating middle ear injury
-
Barotrauma
- Altitude paralysis
- Scuba Diving
V. Causes: Endocrine
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Hyperthyroidism
- Pregnancy
- Hypertension
- Alcohol Abuse (Alcoholic Neuropathy)
VI. Causes: Infection
- Malignant Otitis Externa (skull base Osteomyelitis)
- Acute or Chronic Otitis Media
- Gradenigo's Syndrome (CN V or CN VI)
- Mastoiditis
- Varicella Zoster Virus (Chicken Pox)
-
Herpes Zoster Oticus (Ramsey-Hunt Syndrome)
- Herpetic Vesicles at auricle and external canal
- Influenza Vaccine and Influenza
- Lyme Disease
- HIV Infection
- Parotitis
- Meningitis or Encephalitis
- Mumps
- Mononucleosis
- Leprosy
- Coxsackievirus infection
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis
- Botulism
- Mucormycosis
VII. Causes: Tumor
- Facial Nerve neuroma
- Cholesteatoma
- Glomus jugulare tumor
- Primary Temporal Bone tumors
- Meningiomas
- Hemangioblastoma
- Hemangioma
- Pontine glioma
- Parotid tumor
VIII. Causes: Birth
- See Facial Nerve Injury from Birth Trauma
- Trauma (forceps delivery)
- Molding
- Congenital Facial Palsy
- Mobius syndrome
- Cardiofacial syndrome
IX. Causes: Toxic
- Thalidomide
- Tetanus
- Diphtheria
- Carbon Monoxide
- Lead Intoxication
X. Causes: Autoimmune or Idiopathic
XI. Causes: Iatrogenic
- Antitetanus serum
- Vaccine treatment for Rabies
- Mandibular block Anesthesia
- Head and neck surgery