PEDIATRICS Vol. 101 No. 5 May 1998, p. e13
Received Nov 13, 1997; accepted Jan 21, 1998.
Division of General Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics Thomas Jefferson University duPont Hospital for Children Wilmington, DE 19899
Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Pediatrics Thomas Jefferson University duPont Hospital for Children Wilmington, DE 19899
Acquired peripheral facial nerve paralysis is a relatively common disorder that affects both children and adults. The most frequent nontrauma-related etiologies in otherwise neurologically intact patients are idiopathic (Bell's palsy) and infectious, which includes otitis media, herpes zoster, Lyme disease, herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Cat scratch disease (CSD) is typically a subacute, regional lymphadenitis caused by Bartonella henselae that is seen in children and young adults. CSD most often has a benign, self-limited course. However, 11% of CSD patients may present atypically, most commonly with Perinaud's oculoglandular syndrome or acute encephalopathy.
We present a child with the first reported case of acute facial nerve paralysis in serologically proven CSD with typical lymphadenitis.