ArticleInternational journal of immunopathology and pharmacology
Steroids plus antiviral agents are more effective than steroids alone in the treatment of severe Bell's palsy patients over 40 years of age.
Article in International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Contemporary pharmacological strategies for acute peripheral facial palsy: a narrative review with clinical decision considerations.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of steroids and antiviral agents in the treatment of Bell's palsy.Medicine and pharmacy reports · 2025Review
- Efficacy of Combination and Single Therapy in Bell's Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.World journal of plastic surgery · 2025Review
- Development of the Korean Medicine Core Outcome Set for Facial Palsy: herbal medicine treatment of patients with facial palsy in primary clinics.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Optimal Bell's Palsy Treatment: Steroids, Antivirals, and a Timely and Personalized Approach.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Bell's palsy with Herpes simplex disciform keratitis: A case report.American journal of ophthalmology case reports · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe effectiveness of the combination of steroids and antiviral agents in the treatment of Bell's palsy remains unclear. This study evaluated the therapeutic effect of combination therapy in severe Bell's palsy patients and assesses specific conditions under which combination therapy is more effective than steroids alone.
methodsFrom January 2005 to December 2019, the records of 1710 Bell's palsy patients who visited Kyung Hee University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Of these, 335 (19.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe Bell's palsy, with 162 patients treated with steroids alone and 173 patients treated with combinations of steroids and antiviral agents. The outcomes of treatment were assessed using the House-Brackmann (H-B) grade according to age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
resultsThe favorable recovery rate was significantly higher in severe Bell's palsy patients who were treated with combinations of steroids and antiviral agents than with steroids alone (78.0% vs. 66.7%,
conclusionCombination therapy with steroids and antiviral agents resulted in significantly higher favorable recovery rates than steroids alone in severe Bell's palsy patients. Combination therapy was particularly more effective than steroids alone in patients aged ≥40 years and in patients without hypertension and diabetes.
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Registered trials
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