Bell's palsy: Early aciclovir and/or prednisolone in Scotland

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN71548196

Enrollment

720

Registered

2004-08-16

Start date

2003-11-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bell's Palsy Nervous System Diseases Facial nerve disorders

Interventions

Design is 2x2 Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), the 4 arms being: 1. Prednisolone and placebo 2. Aciclovir and placebo 3. Prednisolone and aciclovir 4. Placebo and placebo Dosage as follows: predniso

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Adults (16 or older) diagnosed with Bell's Palsy and with no excluding conditions and who can be consented at participating centres in Scotland within 72 hours of onset.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Pregnancy 2. Uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c >8%) 3. Peptic ulcer disease 4. Suppurative otitis media 5. Herpes zoster 6. Multiple sclerosis 7. Sarcoidosis and other rarer conditions 8. Inability to give informed consent 9. Breast-feeding 10. Patients with systemic infection

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. House-Brackmann grading system for facial nerve function 2. Health Utilities Index 3. Chronic pain grade 4. Costs	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Brief Pain Inventory 2. Derriford Appearance Questionnaire (DAS59)	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Apr 6, 2026