%0 Meta-Analysis
%T Bell's Palsy After Vaccination Against Covid-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
%A Gordon AJ
%A Varelas A
%A Eytan DF
%J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
%V 169
%N 5
%D 2023 11 5
%M 37272720
%F 5.591
%R 10.1002/ohn.385
%X This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify studies reporting the incidence of Bell's Palsy after vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and assess whether this incidence is greater than among the general population.<BR>PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science.<BR>A systematic review was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Databases were searched from inception to May 9, 2022, for studies reporting the incidence of Bell's Palsy among individuals vaccinated against Covid-19 and control populations. Meta-analyses of odds ratios (ORs) were performed to compare the incidence of Bell's Palsy in these groups.<BR>We identified 7 studies reporting the incidence of Bell's Palsy after vaccination and among the general population, including 20,234,931 total vaccinated patients. The length of postvaccination follow-up ranged from 7 to 43 days in these studies. The incidence of Bell's Palsy was not significantly greater among vaccinated individuals (OR: 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65-1.71; p = .82). Stratifying by dose, the incidence of Bell's Palsy was not significantly greater after receiving either the first dose (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.47-1.49; p = .54) or second dose (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.58-1.79; p = .96).<BR>Among the available evidence, the incidence of Bell's Palsy after vaccination against Covid-19 is comparable to that of the general unvaccinated population. Patient counseling should provide reassurance that there is no known association between Bell's Palsy and Covid-19 vaccination.