(HealthDayNews) -- Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis, affects about 40,000 Americans each year. Although it can strike almost anyone without warning, it seems to disproportionately attack pregnant women, people with diabetes, flu, a cold or some other upper respiratory ailment, says the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
In addition to one-sided facial paralysis, symptoms may include pain, tearing, drooling, hypersensitivity to sound, and taste impairment.
The good news is that with or without treatment, most people get significantly better within two weeks, and about 80 percent are completely recovered within 3 months. For some, the symptoms may linger a little longer, and in a few cases, they may never completely disappear.
