Familial idiopathic facial palsy

The etiology of idiopathic facial palsy (IFP) is still not defined. Familia l inheritance has been found in 4-14% of cases. Among 116 patients with IFP admitted to the otolaryngology and neurology clinics at Kutahya State Hosp ital, 12 had positive family histories involving 10 different families. Rev iew of the patients' histories showed that 13 members of families previousl y had IFP. In all, the 25 patients with familial IFP consisted of 12 males and 13 females and had an average age at onset of 34.3 years. Class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) was investigated in 11 patients with familial IFP belonging to four separate families. The follow-up period was approximately 2 months. All cases except one recovered completely, with the latter patie nt having minimal contracture and facial paresis. However, HLA showed no si gnificant increases in class I antigens. No notable difference was found in the clinical courses of patients with familial and non-familial IFP.