What are the consequences of facial palsy on working life?
Reviewed by Gemma Clunie

Facial palsy (FP) has multiple causes, including iatrogenic or idiopathic paralysis, trauma and tumours. Whilst for certain aetiologies, such as Bell’s palsy, recovery of function is expected, many patients will experience permanent symptoms due to incomplete recovery of the facial nerve. This can have a significant physical and psychological effect on individuals with FP. This study aimed to explore the impact of FP on patient-reported work productivity. The authors completed a retrospective study using case notes from November 2023 to May 2024. They compared clinical details of FP, demographics and the responses for the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and Work Productivity & Activity Impairment Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP) survey for 60 patients. The mean duration of FP at the time of the questionnaires was 89.9 months, standard deviation (SD) 140.7 months with a range of 3–701 months, and the mean Sunnybrook (SB) Facial Grading System score was 63.4 (SD 16.5, range 9-97). The majority (73.3%, n=44) of patients were female and the mean age was 51.3 (SD 14.3, range 28-84). Of the 50 patients in employment, a total of 40% (n=20) missed work for ≥1h one week prior to survey completion. Four (6.7%) patients changed their job role due to FP. Linear regression analysis showed that SB score and SAQ score were predictors of the impact of FP on daily activities. Logistic regression analysis showed that age and gender were significant predictors of missing work due to FP, with older people and females more likely to miss work. This study shows that FP is linked with patient-reported interruptions to work productivity and recommends further studies to explore the impact of FP on individuals as well as the economic impact of FP treatment.

Impact of Facial Palsy on Work Productivity.
Merkouris HD, Shukla A, Lu GN.
LARYNGOSCOPE
2025:(00):1–7. [ePub ahead of print]