Yu E, Jin F, Zhou W, Chen J, Cai H, Hu J, Xuan L. The impact of Chinese COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of peripheral facial nerve paralysis after optimizing policies.
Front Public Health 2023;
11:1236985. [PMID:
38026328 PMCID:
PMC10654624 DOI:
10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236985]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence of Peripheral Facial Nerve Paralysis (PFNP) in Chinese patients, identify contributing factors, and explore the relationship between COVID-19 and PFNP.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective study covering the years 2020 to 2023, categorizing patients into three groups based on their visit dates: Group 1 (December 8, 2020 to February 28, 2021), Group 2 (December 8, 2021 to February 28, 2022), and Group 3 (December 8, 2022 to February 28, 2023). We collected and compared data on disease onset and patient characteristics among these groups.
Results
In Group 3, following the widespread COVID-19 outbreak, there was a significant increase of 22.4 and 12.1% in PFNP cases compared to the same periods in the preceding 2 years (p < 0.001). Group 3 patients were more likely to be aged between 30 and 60 years, experience onset within 7 days, present with Hunter syndrome, and have a higher H-B score of VI compared to the previous 2 years (p < 0.017). Logistic regression analysis revealed a strong association between the COVID-19 pandemic and the incidence of Hunter syndrome in PFNP (OR = 3.30, 95% CI 1.81-6.03, p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The incidence of PFNP increased in China after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in patients with Hunter syndrome, indicating that COVID-19 infection can trigger and worsen PFNP.
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