A Broken Smile in Dengue Fever: Isolated Bell’s Palsy as an Uncommon Neurological Complication

Background: Dengue is caused by Flavivirus and its infection is mostly asymptomatic but multi-organ complications can be fatal in some cases. Among those varied uncommon neurological manifestations, cranial neuritis involving facial nerve palsy is rarely reported. Here we describe a case of an isolated Bell’s palsy as a complication secondary to dengue infection. Case Presentation: A 15-year-old boy got admitted with fever, headache, & myalgia for 2 days and was diagnosed as dengue based on NS1 antigen positivity. He suddenly developed right sided LMN facial nerve palsy three days post-admission. The boy was treated supportively along with a short duration of oral steroids. His palsy recovered significantly later on follow-up. Conclusion: This case shows that infrequent neurological manifestations such as isolated Bell’s palsy can be a part of the dengue illness spectrum. Early recognition of such atypical clinical features enables early management and may lead to better recovery. Continued reporting of such cases is essential to understand the mechanisms behind these rare associations. Keywords: Dengue, Dengue fever, Facial nerve palsy, Bell’s palsy