Patients with post-COVID-19 vaccination facial palsy: To boost or not to boost?

Transl Neurosci. 2022 Aug 22;13(1):236-239. doi: 10.1515/tnsci-2022-0240. eCollection 2022 Jan 1.

Abstract

A possible association between Bell's palsy and COVID-19 vaccination has been suggested. While it is likely that COVID-19 vaccine recipients from the general population do have a slightly increased risk of developing Bell's palsy, there are little data regarding this risk in individuals with a history of disease. Gaining a better understanding of this association is particularly important for informing evidence-based recommendations regarding future booster shots in subjects who developed Bell's palsy as a side effect of vaccination, or as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We previously described the first case of COVID-19 vaccine-related Bell's palsy; here we report an 18-month clinical and electromyographic follow-up and discuss the implications of receiving further vaccine doses in patients with positive disease history.

Keywords: Bell’s palsy; COVID-19 vaccine booster; facial paralysis; vaccination.

Publication types

  • Case Reports