• Jong-Yeup Kim, Myoung Suk Kim, Myeong Hee Kim, Dong-Kyu Kim, and Myeong Sang Yu.
• Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Konyang University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
• Laryngoscope. 2019 Oct 1; 129 (10): 2371-2377.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the risk of cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCVD), such as ischemic stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), in patients diagnosed with Bell palsy STUDY DESIGN: Population-based follow-up study.MethodsWe used the National Sample Cohort 2002 to 2013 data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service. The Bell palsy group comprised all patients diagnosed with Bell palsy (n = 730). The comparison group comprised patients selected randomly using propensity score matching (n = 1,460). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log-rank test, and Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to calculate the disease-free survival rate and hazard ratio (HR) of CCVD for each group.ResultsOf the total study population, ischemic stroke developed in 15.7% of patients with Bell palsy and 9% of patients in the comparison group during the 12-year follow-up period. After adjusting for other factors, the HR of ischemic stroke during the 12-year follow-up period was 1.84 times greater in the Bell palsy group than in the comparison group (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-2.36). However, the adjusted HR of developing ischemic stroke for patients with Bell palsy treated concurrently with antiviral agents and steroids was 1.12 (95% CI, 0.62.-2.04). There was no significant relationship between Bell palsy and risk of AMI development (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.71-1.82).ConclusionBell palsy is linked with an increased incidence of ischemic stroke. Our data suggest that Bell palsy may be used as an indicator of increased stroke risk, and concurrent treatment with antiviral agents and steroids may be effective in preventing ischemic stroke.Level Of EvidenceNA Laryngoscope, 129:2371-2377, 2019.© 2019 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

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