The effect of metabolic syndrome on Bell's palsy recovery rate

Objective: This study investigated the effects metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its factors such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), obesity, hypertriglyceridemia (high TG} and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (low HDL-C) on the recovery rate of patients with BP. Methods: The medical records of 124 patients with BP were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into a MetS group and a Non-MetS group according to the diagnostic criteria of MetS, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the two groups at baseline and six months after BP onset were analyzed. Results: Age was significantly higher in the MetS group than in the Non-MetS group (p < .05), but there were no significant differences in sex ratio, initial House-Brackmann (H-B) grade, initial electroneurography and initial electromyography (p>.05). The most common comorbidity of BP was high TG, followed by low HDL-C, HTN, obesity and DM. There were no differences in initial H-B grade in patients with and without each component of the MetS (p>.05). The recovery rate of BP was significantly lower in the MetS than in the Non-MetS group and was particularly affected by DM, obesity and high TG. Conclusions: Recovery rate op BP is lower in patients with than without MetS.