Evaluation of Hematological Parameters in Children with Idiopathic Facial Paralysis: A Case-control Study

Abstract

Aim: Idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis [Bell’s palsy (BP)] is the most common cause of acute, one-sided facial paralysis, whose etiopathogenesis is currently unknown. However, inflammation is considered to play a role in etiopathogenesis. In this study, we examined the relationship between hematologic parameters and indices in children with BP. Methods: The study included 60 pediatric patients diagnosed with BP between December 2017 and May 2022 and 60 healthy controls of the same age and gender. The relationship between the patient and control cohorts and between the severity of the disease and inflammation markers was analyzed. Low-severe BP (House-Brackmann classification grade 2-3) and high-severe BP (House-Brackmann classification grade 4-5) were grouped. Complete blood count parameters and hematologic indices [neutrophil count/lymphocyte count (NLR), platelet count/lymphocyte count (PLR), monocyte count/lymphoid count (MLR), and platelet mass index] were recorded as inflammation markers. Results: 55% of the patients had BP on the right side, 48.3% had grade 3, and 30.0% had grade 4 facial paralysis. Leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p-values p<0.001, p=0.006, p=0.027, p=0.009, respectively). The low-severe BP group had significantly higher leukocyte counts than the high-severe BP group. However, there was no significant difference between the other hematologic parameters and indices (NLR, PLR, MLR, and platelet mass index). Conclusion: Children with BP had higher counts of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets than children in the control group. Thus, we believe that these parameters can be used in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of patients with BP.