Does Beta Thalassemia Increase the Incidence of Bell’s Palsy?

Abstract

Abstract:A five-year old Iraqi patient with beta thalassemia major was presented with recurrent attack of Bell's palsy on 2 successive years being a milder one in the second year. This is a rare occurrence in beta thalassemia major patients and needs to be further explored. This is a case report of a nine-year old Iraqi child who is the only child born to parents of secondary consanguinity relatives from Babil Province who was diagnosed as beta thalassemia on the age of 6 months and is on regular blood transfusion and iron chelation therapy of deferasirox tablets (Exjade), his medical follow up takes place at Babil Thalassemia center in Babil Maternity and Child Hospital. On the age of five years, he was presented with a sudden onset of right sided Bell's palsy within twenty four hours of swimming in a cool swimming pool at his home in July 2011. A neurosurgeon examined him at that time, no investigations were done, the diagnosis was purely clinical, steroid & neurotonics were recommended as a treatment for the condition, antiviral agents were not prescribed, lacrimation & taste were not affected, there was a slow improvement, two weeks later physiotherapy sessions including facial massage ad electric stimulation were recommended after which the child improved. The next year, another attach of Bell's Palsy developed at a similar time with the same sequel of events, this time the attack was milder and with residual effects seen in the eye & mouth. This coincidence of beta thalassemia and Bell's palsy should be further studied by observational epidemiologic studies to prove or disprove the hypothesis that thalassemic patients especially children are at higher risk of developing Bell's palsy than healthy children. Beta thalassemia patients may be at higher risk of developing Bell's Palsy.