PURPOSE: to analyze quality of life in subjects with acquired chronic peripheral facial palsy. METHOD: 12 subjects with acquired facial palsy were selected through screening during the sequel, with etiologies of Bell and acoustic schwannoma after resection. The degree of acquired facial palsy was verified, as well as a closed questions interview about complaints with the facial movement was carried out, in order to check if there was interference from facial palsy in the social life of each subject. This was a cross-sectional study. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s exact test, with significance level of 5%, were used in order to analyze the data. RESULTS: the degree of facial palsy were divided as it follows: I-II (Normal to mild dysfunction), III-IV (moderate to moderately severe dysfunction) and V-VI (complete palsy severe dysfunction), according to House & Brackmann. In the answers about difficulties in professional and personal activities, Bell’s palsy individuals with normal to mild dysfunction have no complaints, in moderate to moderately severe dysfunction all answered very severe complaints and in an individual with complete palsy reported a lot of complaints. In the acoustic Schwannoma individuals, in the group classified as mild dysfunction, all answered no damage complaints, while among those with severe to complete palsy, one individual reported a lot of complaints in professional and personal activities. CONCLUSION: the acquired chronic peripheral facial palsy interfered with quality of life in subjects with more severe degrees of palsy.
Quality of Life; Facial Palsy; Bell Palsy; Facial Expression; Psychosocial Impact