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CLINICAL QUESTION Compared with oral corticosteroids alone, are oral antiviral drugs
associated with improved outcomes when combined with oral corticosteroids in patients
presenting within 72 hours of the onset of Bell palsy?
BOTTOM LINE Compared with oral corticosteroids alone, the addition of acyclovir,
valacyclovir, or famcyclovir to oral corticosteroids for treatment of Bell palsy
was associated with a higher proportion of people who recovered at 3- to 12-month
follow-up. The quality of evidence is limited by heterogeneity, imprecision of the result
estimates, and risk of bias.
Introduction
Summary of Findings
Evidence Profile
No. of studies overall: 8
No. of randomized clinical trials: 8
Study years: Conducted, 1994-2011; published,
1996-2013
No. of patients: 1315
Men: 54% Women: 46%
Race/ethnicity: Not reported
Age, mean (range): 43.6 years (14-84 years)
Settings: Primary care and hospital clinics
Countries: China, Japan, Korea, Scandinavia, Scotland,
Spain, United States, and Uruguay
Comparison: Antivirals vs placebo or no treatment
among people taking oral corticosteroids.
Primary outcomes: Incomplete recovery (the equivalent
of House-Brackmann scale grade of II or worse) at
end of study (3-12 months) based on use of the
House-Brackmann scale, Sunnybrook facial grading scale,
or Yanagihara scale.5
Secondary outcomes: (1) Motor synkinesis (an anomalous
nerve regeneration leading to involuntary movements)
or crocodile tears (lacrimation, salivation) at the end
of the study; (2) adverse events (nausea, dyspepsia,
constipation, or rash); and (3) incomplete
recovery at month 6 in severe cases.
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Discussion
Among 1315 patients who participated in 8 randomized clinical
trials (Figure), the addition of an antiviral agent (acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famcyclovir) to oral corticosteroids was associated with
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Figure. Antivirals Plus Corticosteroids vs Corticosteroids Plus Placebo or No Treatment for Patients With Bell Palsy
Study
Corticosteroids Alone
No. With
Incomplete
Recovery
No. With
Incomplete
Recovery
Total No. of
Participants
Total No. of
Participants
Li, 1997
25
13
21
0.26 (0.10-0.67)
Adour, 1996
53
11
46
0.32 (0.11-0.92)
Hato, 2007
114
11
107
0.34 (0.11-1.04)
Yeo, 2008
44
47
0.46 (0.13-1.66)
Kawaguchi, 2007
84
66
0.70 (0.29-1.71)
Engstrm, 2008
42
206
50
210
0.86 (0.60-1.23)
Vzquez, 2008
22
19
1.30 (0.24-6.96)
Sullivan, 2007
124
127
1.84 (0.64-5.35)
77
672
108
643
0.61 (0.39-0.97)
Total
Favors
Antivirals Plus
Corticosteroids
0.1
Favors
Corticosteroids
Alone
1.0
10
The size of the data markers is proportional to the studys weight in the meta-analysis.
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An individual patient meta-analysis that includes an analysis according to severity of the Bell palsy and patient subgroups based on age
may be warranted to identify subgroups of patients, such as children and patients with facial paralysis of varying severity, who may
benefit from the addition of antivirals to corticosteroids and those
who may not.8
REFERENCES
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