Objective  To investigate the clinical characteristics of facial palsy after stroke (FPS) in order to enhance the understanding of FPS. Methods  Patients with stroke and admitted to hospital from March to June 2015 were selected in this study. They were evaluated by Modified House-Braekmann (MHBN), Barthel Index (BI), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Standardized Swallowing Assessment and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) within 48 hours after admitting. According to the MHBN scores, the patients were divided into FPS group and non-FPS group, and the incidences of dysphagia and depression, and the scores of BI, NIHSS, and PHQ-9 were compared between the two group. Six months later, the patients’ prognosis of stroke was assessed by the Modified Rankin Scale. Results  A total of 129 patients were enrolled in this study, including 81 (62.8%) with FPS, and 48 (37.2%) without FPS. The incidences of dysphagia and depression in the FPS group (64.2%, 59.3%) were higher than those in the non-FPS group (22.9%, 18.8%), and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The BI, NIHSS, PHQ-9 scores in the FPS group were 41.79±14.19, 11.23±4.62, 11.54±3.43, respectively, while the scores in the non-FPS group were 66.39±19.96, 7.54±3.69, 7.67±2.89, respectively; the differences in the scores between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Six months later, the patients’ prognosis in the non-FPS group was better than that in the FPS group (67.4%vs. 32.9%, P<0.001). Conclusions  There is a high incidence of FPS, and there are high incidences of dysphagia and depression in the FPS patients with stroke. FPS influences the patients’ prognosis, so the understanding and treatment of FPS should be enhanced.

Citation： WANG Xiangming, ZHANG Yuehui. A clinical study on facial palsy after stroke. West China Medical Journal, 2017, 32(12): 1846-1848. doi: 10.7507/1002-0179.201603190 Copy