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Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of Bell’s palsy patients getting recommended doses of steroids at their first presentation to a general physician within the first 72 hours of onset of their symptoms.
Study Design: A descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore, form Nov 2014 to Feb 2015 over a period of four months.
Material and Methods: Patients suffering from Bell’s palsy, reporting to a general physician within the first 72 hours of onset of their symptoms and then later visiting CMH Lahore for a second opinion of neurologist. Information about their initial treatment was obtained from the first prescription of their first general physician.
Results: Thirty two patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of our study, 11 (34%) patients received recommended doses of steroids, 14 (44%) received suboptimal doses and 7 (22%) did not receive steroids.
Conclusion: Majority of the patients suffering from Bell’s palsy did not received their optimal doses of steroids when they first reported to a general physician after onset of their symptoms.