Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of facial nerve palsy.
Family history
- What is the general health of your family members?
- Are there any diseases in your family that are common?
- Are there any hereditary diseases in your family?
Social history
- What is your profession?
- Do you often go to the forest?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- Have you noticed that you can no longer close the eyelid completely?
- Have you noticed that the corner of your mouth is hanging?
- Did fluid leak from your mouth when you were drinking?
- Have you noticed any hearing disturbances?
- Have you noticed any taste disturbances?
- How long have these complaints been present?
- Within what time have the complaints developed?
- What paralysis did you notice?
- Are you able to smile? Or is your face distorted when you do so?
- Are their forehead muscles mobile, i.e. is frowning possible?
- When speaking, do you have difficulty pronouncing the words?
- Do you have any pain? If so, where are they localized?
- Is only one side of the face affected or both?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Do you smoke? If yes, how many cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol more often? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses of it per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, which drugs and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Pre-existing conditions (infectious diseases (eg, Lyme disease: question after tick bite or erythema migrans / wandering redness), neurological diseases, ENT diseases).
- Operations (neurosurgical operations, operations in the ENT area).
- Radiotherapy
- Vaccination status
- Allergies
- Pregnancies (forceps delivery?)
- Environmental history
- Medication history
In case of new onset of paralysis symptoms (of any kind), an immediate visit to the doctor is required! (Information without guarantee)