Ramsey Hunt Syndrome
The Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which is also known as the herpes zoster oticus, is a kind of facial nerve infection that is accompanied with facial muscle weakness and a painful rash. The main cause of this condition is the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox too. When the chickenpox heals, the varicella-zoster virus would lie dormant within your nerves. Then it may reactivate years later, and when it infects your facial nerve, then the result would be Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
The onset of this condition can be quite alarming. Some of the signs and symptoms of Ramsay Hunt syndrome include facial palsy on the same side as your affected ear, painful rash that is accompanied with fluid-filled blisters on the ear, mouth or tongue, ear pain, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, difficulty closing the eye, vertigo and loss of taste. But even with all these unnerving symptoms, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome could often be effectively treated. It is better to seek prompt treatment in order to avoid any risk of complications.
Any person who has been infected with chickenpox could develop the Ramsay Hunt syndrome. However, this condition is more likely to occur in older people, especially those over 40 years old. Children rarely get this disease.
The doctor would only be able to identify Ramsay Hunt syndrome based on a patient's medical history, a thorough physical examination and the condition's signs and symptoms. In order to confirm diagnosis, the doctor will get a sample of the fluid from one of the ear's rash blisters and do a polymerase chain reaction test on it. This type of test would be able to detect the varicella-zoster virus. A patient who seeks treatment with the first three days from onset of Ramsay Hunt syndrome would most likely not suffer lasting complications. But in other cases, even with immediate treatment, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome could result in permanent facial weakness and hearing loss. The other probable complications of this condition include eye damage, unusual facial movements, postherpetic neuralgia and some effects on the other parts of the body. For those who have the Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a doctor would most likely prescribe medications such as corticosteroids (i.e. prednisone), antiviral medication (i.e. acyclovir, famciclovir or valacyclovir), diazepam (i.e. valium), and pain relievers. If a patient has some difficulty closing one of the eyes due to facial weakness, then the doctor might suggest an injection of Botox into the upper eyelid to protect the eye and make it easier to close it. The recovery period from Ramsay Hunt syndrome could take from several weeks up to several months, depending on the extent of the patient's facial nerve damage. If there is severe damage, or delayed treatment, then it may not even be possible to have a full recovery. Unfortunately, there is no surefire way to prevent Ramsay Hunt syndrome. However, those who have not been exposed to chickenpox could get a vaccine to reduce the risk of getting the virus that causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
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