Table 1.
Demographic and clinical variables of the patients with idiopathic Bell’s palsy.
| Variable | All, n (%) | Favorable Outcome, n (%) | Unfavorable Outcome, n (%) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients, n | 396 (100) | 354 (89.4) | 42 (10.6) | |
| Age, years | 0.354 | |||
| <60 | 314 (79.3) | 283 (79.9) | 31 (73.8) | |
| ≥60 | 82 (20.7) | 71 (20.1) | 11 (26.2) | |
| Sex | 0.103 | |||
| Female | 179 (45.2) | 165 (46.6) | 14 (33.3) | |
| Male | 217 (54.8) | 189 (53.4) | 28 (66.7) | |
| Affected site | 0.279 | |||
| Right | 195 (50.8) | 183 (51.7) | 18 (42.9) | |
| Left | 201 (49.2) | 171 (48.3) | 24 (57.1) | |
| Smoking | 0.208 | |||
| No | 329 (83.1) | 297 (83.9) | 32 (76.2) | |
| Yes | 67 (16.9) | 57 (16.1) | 10 (23.8) | |
| Alcohol drinking | 0.226 | |||
| No | 352 (88.9) | 317 (89.5) | 35 (83.3) | |
| Yes | 44 (11.1) | 37 (10.5) | 7 (16.7) | |
| Betel nut chewing | 0.074 | |||
| No | 373 (94) | 336 (94.9) | 37 (88.1) | |
| Yes | 23 (6) | 18 (5.1) | 5 (11.9) | |
| Diabetes | 0.364 | |||
| No | 339 (85.6) | 305 (86.2) | 34 (81) | |
| Yes | 57 (14.4) | 49 (13.8) | 8 (19) | |
| Hypertension | 0.849 | |||
| No | 334 (84.3) | 299 (84.5) | 35 (83.3) | |
| Yes | 62 (15.7) | 55 (15.5) | 7 (16.7) | |
| Hyperlipidemia | 0.489 | |||
| No | 384 (97) | 344 (97.2) | 40 (95.2) | |
| Yes | 12 (3) | 10 (28.2) | 2 (4.8) | |
| Blink reflex | 0.0001 * | |||
| Delayed | 149 (37.6) | 145 (41) | 4 (9.5) | |
| Absent | 247 (62.4) | 209 (59) | 38 (90.5) | |
| Electroneurography | <0.0001 * | |||
| >33% | 254 (64.1) | 244 (68.9) | 10 (23.8) | |
| ≤33% | 142 (35.9) | 110 (31.1) | 32 (76.2) | |
| Treatment | 0.719 | |||
| Supportive care | 14 (3.5) | 12 (3.4) | 2 (4.8) | |
| Low-dose steroid a | 249 (62.9) | 221 (62.4) | 28 (66.7) | |
| High-dose steroid b | 133 (33.6) | 121 (34.2) | 12 (28.6) |
a Low-dose steroid was defined as ≤0.5 mg/kg prednisolone/day. b High-dose steroid was defined as >0.5 mg/kg prednisolone/day. *: p < 0.05.