The seventh nerve

The seventh nerve, or the facial nerve, is known as one of the twelve cranial nerves, which is responsible for controlling the muscles of one side of the face, and the appearance of expressions of crying, smiling, and winking. The auditory system surrounds the structures of the middle ear, extends from the stylomastoid foramen, passes through the parotid gland, and then the nerve branches into several branches, and provides the various glands and muscles in the face and neck with motor function.

As for seventh nerve inflammation, or what is also known as Bell's palsy, it is one of the health problems that may affect individuals of different age groups, which cause a radical change in the appearance of the face, where muscle weakness begins suddenly On one side of the face, it gets worse within a period of no more than 48 hours. It should be noted that Bell's palsy is not a permanent or chronic problem. The patient often recovers after two weeks to six months from the onset of symptoms.



Treatment in the case of Bell's palsy aims to increase the speed of recovery from the problem, and in the following is a mention of some of the drugs used in the treatment of seventh neuritis, as follows:

• Prednisolone: This medication is taken orally, for a period of ten days, as Prednisolone prevents the production of inflammatory substances, such as: Leukotrienes and Prostaglandins, it reduces inflammation, increases the speed of recovery of the affected nerve, and often reduces The doctor before the end of the steroid treatment period The dose that the patient takes gradually; In order to prevent the appearance of withdrawal symptoms, such as fatigue and vomiting.
• Antivirals: Despite the weak evidence that antivirals are effective in treating seventh nerve inflammation, they may be a drug option, and they are sometimes taken with prednisolone, examples of which are: Acyclovir.
• Lubricating eye drops: such as drops and ointments for artificial tears that the doctor prescribes. The doctor usually recommends using ointments before going to sleep, while he recommends using eye drops during daytime and waking hours, especially if the patient has a problem with blinking, which exposes tears in the eye. to evaporate, which increases the risk of infection or damage to the eye.

There are a set of home tips that can be followed to relieve the symptoms of seventh nerve inflammation, and among these tips, the following can be mentioned:

• Make sure to chew food well, and eat it slowly, so it is recommended if the patient has problems swallowing, and it is preferable to choose soft foods to eat, such as yogurt.
• Dental care, brushing and flossing, the patient with seventh nerve inflammation may lose the feeling of the mouth completely or partially, which would provide the opportunity for gum disease, or tooth decay.
• Take pain relievers, such as: ibuprofen; To relieve discomfort.
• Tighten and relax the facial muscles, as this may help strengthen them, when the damaged nerve begins to heal.
• Be sure to wear glasses, or protective glasses during the day, and it is recommended to cover the eyes at night using an eye patch; This will protect the eye from scratching.
• Resorting to physical therapy exercises by following the advice of the specialist, which includes massaging the face and exercising its muscles.

Despite the inability to determine the main cause behind the occurrence of seventh nerve inflammation and the incidence of Bell's palsy, there are many medical researches that indicate the presence of some factors that may stimulate the occurrence of this problem, and some of them can be summarized as follows:

• Infection with the herpes zoster virus: It is responsible for herpes zoster and chickenpox.
• Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus : which destroys the body's immune system.
• Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus : which causes mononucleosis.
• Infection with the herpes simplex virus: It is responsible for the emergence of genital herpes, and cold sores.
• Having some health problems:
  - Lyme disease
  - Sarcoidosis.
  - Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  - Myasthenia gravis.
  - Hypertension.
  - Diabetes.
  - Multiple Sclerosis.

Symptoms of seventh nerve inflammation often appear suddenly on one side of the face, and worsen within a few days before the patient’s condition begins to stabilize. During this period, the individual suffers from the emergence of several symptoms, some of which can be mentioned as follows:

• Having difficulty chewing.
• The occurrence of twitching, or contraction of the facial muscles.
• Unusually increased or decreased amount of eye tears.
• Weakness in the sense of taste.
• Pain or numbness behind the ear.
• Drooling occurs, especially when drinking water.
• The inability to blink the eye, or close the eyelid, which results in redness and dryness of the eyes.
• Suffering from difficulty controlling the muscles of the mouth, resulting in interference with speech.

There are a number of complications that may occur as a result of infection with the seventh nerve, and some of them can be mentioned as follows:

• Abnormal growth of nerve fibers, this may lead to synkinesis, which is the involuntary contraction of certain muscles in the face when moving other muscles.
• Permanent damage to the seventh nerve.
• Eye injury, total or partial blindness; This is due to severe dryness of the eye resulting from the exposure of the cornea to being scratched, and the eye not closing.