Clinical Characteristics of 802 Patients with Facial Palsy: Based on Literature Related to Stomach Meridian

Article information

J Korean Med. 2023;44(3):1-9

Publication date (electronic) : 2023 September 1

doi : https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.23026

Dong-eun Jin

, Soo-young Jang

, Hyeon-cheol Shin

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Dae-Gu Haany University

Correspondence to: Hyeon-cheol Shin, 411, Saecheonnyeon-daero, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea. Department of Internal Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Dae-Gu Haany University, Tel : 054-281-0055, E-mail : ungaeshin@naver.com

Received 2023 April 17; Revised 2023 July 5; Accepted 2023 August 17.

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to suggest the clinical characteristics and risk factors of facial palsy from the perspective of Korean Medicine.

Methods

Medical records of 856 patients, who visited the Korean Medicine hospital with facial palsy from 2004 to 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics of facial palsy were suggested by figuring out the distribution of age, sex, occupation, onset season, obesity, modes, signs, symptoms, past and family history.

Results

By gender, there were more males (54.6%), and the most common age groups were in their 50s (27.4%) and 40s (23.6%). As for the occupation, unemployed (27.7%) and service and sales workers (14.6%) were the most common, and the onset season was the most common in winter (28.9%). The most common clinical characteristics were overwork (33.0%), mental stress (24.8%), and exposure to cold (19.3%) in modes, ‘none’ (64.3%), postauricular pain (33.2%) in signs, postauricular pain (26.9%), parageusia (14.8%) in symptoms. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common in both past and family history. In particular, the obesity rate of the subjects (59.8%) was much higher than that of Koreans (32.8%).

Conclusions

Based on the historical Korean Medicine literature and the results of this study, it is suggested that overwork, stress, exposure to cold, and obesity are identified as risk factors for facial palsy. Furthermore, dysfunction of the stomach meridian is thought to contribute to the cause of facial palsy.

Keywords: facial palsy; stomach meridian; overwork; stress; obesity

Scheme 1

Scheme of Facial Palsy

Table 1

Frequency of Age, Sex, Occupation and Onset Season

Table 2

Frequency of Modes, Signs, Symptoms

Table 3

Frequency of Past and Family History

Table 4

Obesity Rate Comparison between Our Study and General Population^*

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Article information Continued

Table 1

Frequency of Age, Sex, Occupation and Onset Season

		Frequency
Sex	Male	438 (54.6)
Sex	Female	364 (45.4)

Age (y)	y < 20	42 (5.2)
	20 ≦ y < 30	52 (6.5)
	30 ≦ y < 40	101 (12.6)
	40 ≦ y < 50	189 (23.6)
	50 ≦ y < 60	220 (27.4)
	60 ≦ y < 70	132 (16.5)
	70 ≦ y	66 (8.2)

Occupation	Armed forces	5 (0.6)
	Managers	14 (1.7)
	Professionals	26 (3.2)
	Technicians and associate professionals	16 (2.0)
	Clerical support workers	76 (9.5)
	Service and sales workers	117 (14.6)
	Skilled agricultural, forestry and fisher workers	46 (5.7)
	Craft and related trades workers	37 (4.6)
	Plant and machine operators, and assemblers	40 (5.0)
	Elementary occupations	79 (9.9)
	Unemployed	222 (27.7)
	Missing value	124 (15.5)

Onset season	Spring	159 (19.8)
	Summer	194 (24.2)
	Autumn	210 (26.2)
	Winter	232 (28.9)
	Missing value	7 (0.9)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 2

Frequency of Modes, Signs, Symptoms

		Frequency
Modes	Overwork	265 (33.0)
	Mental stress	199 (24.8)
	Exposure to cold	155 (19.3)
	Drinking	40 (5.0)
	Others^*	28 (3.5)
	Unknown	290 (36.2)

Signs	Postauricular pain	266 (33.2)
	Pain in head, neck, throat	28 (3.5)
	Common cold	9 (1.1)
	Blepharospasm	4 (0.5)
	Parageusia	4 (0.5)
	None	516 (64.3)

Symptoms	Postauricular pain	216 (26.9)
	Pain in head, neck, throat	115 (14.3)
	Parageusia	119 (14.8)
	Gastrointestinal disturbance	68 (8.5)
	Fatigue	89 (11.1)
	Disturbance of facial skin sensation	46 (5.7)
	Others^†	37 (4.6)

Data are presented as n (%)

Otitis media 4 cases, dental treatment 7 cases, pregnancy & delivery 4 cases, traumatism & operation 6 cases, central nervous system disease 1 cases, Herpes zoster 6 cases;

^†

Disorder of lacrimal secretion, hypoacusis or hyperacusis.

Table 3

Frequency of Past and Family History

		Frequency
Past history	Hypertension	184 (22.9)
	Diabetes	98 (12.2)
	Hyperlipidemia	29 (3.6)
	Facial palsy	64 (8.0)
	Herpes zoster	8 (1.0)
	Dermatopathy	7 (0.9)
	Cerebrovascular accident	26 (3.2)
	Cancer	25 (3.1)
	Thyroid disease	18 (2.2)
	Liver disease	23 (2.9)
	Heart disease	35 (4.4)
	Gastrointestinal disease	30 (3.7)
	Lung disease	6 (0.7)
	Kidney disease	23 (2.9)
	Ophthalmologic, otolaryngological disease	61 (7.6)
	Muscular skeletal disease	43 (5.4)
	Mental disease	17 (2.1)
	Gynecological disease	19 (2.4)
	Others	44 (5.5)

Family history	Cerebrovascular accident	63 (7.9)
	Hypertension	64 (8.0)
	Cancer	36 (4.5)
	Diabetes	52 (6.5)
	Facial palsy	24 (3.0)
	Heart disease	7 (0.9)
	Liver disease	9 (1.1)
	Thyroid disease	3 (0.4)
	Others	3 (0.4)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 4

Obesity Rate Comparison between Our Study and General Population^*

	Obesity^† (%)	Non-obese^‡ (%)
KNHANES (n=76240)	32.8	67.2
Facial palsy (n=724)	59.8	40.2

Calculated from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES);

^†

25.0 ≦ Body mass index (BMI);

^‡

BMI < 25.0