THERAPEUTICS
Early treatment with prednisolone, but not acyclovir, was effective in Bell’s palsy
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
F M Sullivan
Dr F M Sullivan, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK; f.m.sullivan@chs.dundee.ac.uk
STUDY DESIGN
2 x 2 factorial, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
concealed.*
blinded (clinicians, patients, data collectors, and outcome assessors).*
STUDY QUESTION
17 hospitals in Scotland, UK.
551 patients 
16 years of age (mean age 44 y, 51% men) with unilateral facial nerve weakness of no identifiable cause who were referred by their primary care physician or the emergency department within 72 hours of onset of symptoms. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, uncontrolled diabetes, peptic ulcer disease, herpes zoster, and multiple sclerosis. 54% of patients started treatment within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. Mean score on the 6-grade House–Brackmann scale was 3.6 (higher grade indicates worse facial paralysis).
prednisolone, 25 mg twice daily, plus placebo for acyclovir (n = 138); acyclovir, 400 mg 5 times daily, plus placebo for prednisolone (n = 138); prednisolone plus acyclovir (n = 134); or both placebos (n
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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