Complications Of Lyme Disease

Facial Palsy

Facial palsy most often occurs weeks to months following the bite by the tick when the affected individual is in the early disseminated stage or stage 2 of their Lyme disease. Facial palsy is not a common complication in individuals who have Lyme disease, as it only develops in around five percent of all cases. Facial palsy and facial paralysis are terms used to describe a loss of movement in an individual's face as a result of damage to the nerves that control the muscles involved with facial movements. Facial palsy makes an individual's face appear as if it is drooping on one or both sides. Most individuals who have this complication of Lyme disease will recover their full facial tone and movement in a maximum of eighteen months following the initial infection. In a small percentage of patients, the facial muscle tightness, restricted smile excursion, and involuntary facial movements may be permanent.

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