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Bell’s Palsy vs. Stroke
Bell’s palsy and stroke have been a lot confused by people who have not seen it happening. Both of these disease conditions are thought of during emergency preparedness. One should clearly know the difference between them so that an apparent diagnosis can be made on time and the patient can reach the hospital without delay. Stroke is caused because of the damage to the blood supply to the brain while Bell’s palsy happens because of the damage to the nerves.
A stroke is basically caused by the occlusion of one of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain. Because the same blood supply controls the facial nerves and muscles, the face from one side starts dropping down. The drop on one side of the face is similar to that in Bell’s palsy however, stroke has some other symptoms too.
Stroke is examined by the acronym FAST. First is the facial drop. Second is arm weakness because the patient would not be able to keep his both arms straight if held in the air. Third is speech because the limited blood supply and impeded nerve supply will cause slurred speech or no speech at all. The last one is time; time is very critical for patients with stroke. However, in Bell’s palsy, the patient is not critical of time and the weakness only goes away slowly on its own.
