Facial nerve palsy in childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia â€“ A rare case report

Dr. Shweta Sharma; Dr. Shipra Singh; Dr. Anjana Mittal

Volume : V, Issue : VIII, August - 2016

Facial nerve palsy in childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia â€“ A rare case report

Dr. Shweta Sharma, Dr. Shipra Singh, Dr. Anjana Mittal

Abstract :

Facial palsy is not uncommon in children and usually carries a good prognosis for the idiopathic variety. However, it can be a presenting symptom of an underlying malignancy. We report a case of young boy who presented with unilateral facial palsy and was initially diagnosed as �Bell�s palsy�. On examination he had evidence of an underlying malignancy on the blood film and was diagnosed with Leukemia. Facial palsy as the presenting symptom of Leukemia is very rare, especially in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Young children presenting with facial palsy should be carefully examined and a possibility of Leukemia should be considered. It is important to recognize neurological manifestation of childhood Leukemia because a delay in diagnosis can have an adverse effect on survival.