FACIAL PALSY IN ACUTE OTITIS-MEDIA

During the 17-year period from 1977 to 1994 a total of 23 patients in Copenhagen County were admitted to hospital with facial palsy, develop ed during acute otitis media. This corresponds to an annual incidence of 2.3 per million inhabitants. In the pre-antibiotic era it was estim ated that 0.5% of patients with acute otitis media developed facial pa lsy. Our figures indicate a decrease of this complication by a factor of 100, to 0.005%. Although fourteen of the patients were children, th e risk of an acute otitis media being complicated by facial palsy seem s to be highest in adults (who have a low incidence of acute otitis me dia). All the children were less than or equal to 3 years of age and 2 /3 of the adults greater than or equal to 50 years of age. Complete re mission was seen in all patients, except one. The time interval to com plete remission was correlated significantly with the degree of the fa cial palsy on admission, as it was longest in the most severe facial p alsies.