Epidemiology
The annual incidence of Bell's palsy is about 20 per 100,000 population, and the incidence increases with age. Bell’s palsy affects about 40,000 people in the United States every year. It affects approximately 1 person in 65 during a lifetime. Familial inheritance has been found in 4–14% of cases. Bell's palsy is three times more likely to strike pregnant women than non-pregnant women. It is also considered to be four times more likely to occur in diabetics than the general population.
A range of annual incidence rates have been reported in the literature: 15, 24, and 25-53 (all rates per 100,000 population per year). Bell’s palsy is not a reportable disease, and there are no established registries for patients with this diagnosis, which complicates precise estimation.
Read more about this topic: Bell's Palsy