Published 7 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4086
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4086

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Antiviral drugs should not be used to treat Bell’s palsy, Cochrane analysis concludes

Roger Dobson

1 Abergavenny

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Antiviral drugs that are widely prescribed to treat Bell’s palsy are ineffective, new research from the Cochrane Database shows.

High quality evidence from randomised controlled trials of Herpes simplex antiviral drugs showed that they were no more effective than placebo, say the authors (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009;(4):CD001869, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001869.pub4). They recommend that research should now focus on discovering other potential causes and treatments of the condition, which affects between 11 and 40 in every 100 000 people.

"These results cast doubt on research that suggests Herpes simplex causes the condition," said the study’s lead author, Pauline Lockhart, of the Centre for Primary Care and Population Research at the University of Dundee. "In view of this, further research should be aimed at discovering alternative causes and treatments."

She added, "It is worth pointing out that a 10 day course of the antivirals often prescribed for Bell’s palsy . . . [Full text of this article]


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