Bell's palsy and COVID-19: A cohort study with historical rate comparison: Comment

Dear Editor,

We would like to comment on “Bell’s palsy and COVID-19: a cohort study with historical rate comparison.¹” This study sought to investigate the prevalence of Bell's palsy in a specific setting, namely an otolaryngology (ENT) emergency department, during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Although the retrospective cohort approach allows for relevant comparisons between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, it has inherent limitations, including potential biases due to patient selection and medical record reliability. Furthermore, the predicted incidence rates rely on accurate population data, which may fluctuate owing to pandemic-related factors such as lockdowns and changes in healthcare-seeking behavior. The authors should address these difficulties in order to strengthen the validity of their findings.

Bell's palsy incidence rates have fallen dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic year as compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, the absence of statistically significant differences between groups raises intriguing issues about potential contributory factors. Have there been any changes in patient demographics, healthcare access, or environmental exposures during the pandemic that could have altered the prevalence of Bell’s palsy? Additional qualitative data, such as patient histories or environmental surveys, may give context for these findings. Exploring these dimensions may reveal hidden trends or confounding variables influencing the recorded incidence rates.

Future research initiatives could include expanding the geographic breadth or doing multicenter studies to gain a more full picture of the occurrence of bell palsy during and after the epidemic. A fresh method could be to investigate the function of stress and mental health during the pandemic, both of which have been shown to have an impact on neurological systems. Furthermore, prospective studies may provide more accurate incidence statistics by validating real-time diagnoses, minimizing the biases associated with retrospective data collecting.

In conclusion, while this study gives significant insights into the shifting landscape of bell palsy incidence in the context of a global health crisis, it would be beneficial to address potential methodological biases and investigate underlying causes that may explain the observed changes. Future research could pave the path for novel preventive strategies or treatment options that are suited to the problems presented by crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Engaging a multidisciplinary team, including epidemiologists, neurologists, and mental health specialists, may result in more complete strategies for understanding and managing bell palsy in a changing healthcare environment.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

HP 50 % ideas, writing, analyzing, approval.

VW 50 % ideas, supervision, approval.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

The author use language editing computational tool in preparation of the article.

Funding

No.

Data availability

There is no new data generated.