| Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting
from damage to the 7th (facial) cranial
nerve.
Bell's palsy gets its name from the 19th century Scottish surgeon,
Sir Charles Bell, who was the first to describe the condition
("Palsy" is an archaic (old) word which means paralysis).
Bell's Palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis
in the world.
The condition afflicts around 40,000 Americans each year.
The incidence rate in the US is around 20 - 30 cases per 100,000
of the population.
Worldwide, Bell's Palsy afflicts approximately 10 - 30 people per
100,000 of the population.
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