Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Alternate Names : Herpes Oticus, Hunt's Syndrome
Prognosis (Expectations)
If damage to the nerve is minimal, then a full recovery is usually expected within a few weeks. If damage is more severe, there may not be full recovery -- even after several months.
Overall, chances of recovery are better if the treatment is started 3 days after the onset of the symptoms. Complete recovery is achieved by 70% of patients if treatment is begun at this time.
However, when the treatment is delayed more than 3 days, the chances of complete recovery drop to about 50%. Children are more likely to have a complete recovery than adults.
Recovery may be complicated if the nerve grows back to the wrong areas (synkinesis) which may cause inappropriate responses, such as tears when laughing or chewing (crocs tears). Some other people may experience blinking of the eye when talking or chewing food.
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