BELLS-PALSY TREATMENT WITH ACYCLOVIR AND PREDNISONE COMPARED WITH PREDNISONE ALONE - A DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL

In a double-blind study, we compared the final outcome of 99 Bell's pa lsy patients treated with either acyclovir-prednisone (53 patients) or placebo-prednisone (46 patients). For patients receiving acyclovir, t he dosage was 2,000 mg (400 mg 5 times daily) for 10 days. Electrical tests included electroneurography and the maximal stimulation test. Un ivariate comparisons of outcome and electrical tests between the two g roups were made with chi(2) analysis, Fisher's exact test, and t-tests . The outcome in acyclovir-prednisone-treated patients was superior to that in placebo-prednisone-treated patients. Treatment with acyclovir -prednisone was statistically more effective in returning volitional m uscle motion (recovery profile of 10; p = .02) and in preventing parti al nerve degeneration (p = .05) than placebo-prednisone treatment. The t-tests indicated that the recovery profile and index means were sign ificantly better for the acyclovir-treated group (recovery profile t = 1.99, p = .051; recovery index t = 2.10, p = .040). We conclude that acyclovir-prednisone is superior to prednisone alone in treating Bell' s palsy patients and suggest that herpes simplex is the probable cause of Bell's palsy.