Bollywood Writer Apurva Asrani Suffers From Facial Paralysis: Here’s Everything You Want to Know About Bell’s Palsy

Just a day after actor Irrfan Khan made a stunning disclosure about suffering from some rare disease, screenwriter Apurva Asrani, credited with movies like Simran and Aligarh has revealed on Facebook that he is suffering from a type of facial paralysis called Bell’s palsy. The writer shared harrowing account of his illness in a lengthy Facebook post where he revealed he couldn’t move one side of his face when he woke up one morning two months ago. He also shared some of the images on Facebook where one side of his face is lopsided and bears the tell-tale signs of the disease. Here’s what he had to say on Facebook:

After his heartbreaking disclosure, Apurva has received an outpouring of support and love from friends and fans alike.

What’s Bell’s palsy?

The disease is named after Scottish anatomist Sir Charles Bell who discovered and described the mechanism of Bell’s palsy. The National Library of Medicine defines this disease as ‘Partial or complete paralysis of the facial muscles of one side of a person’s face.’ According to the website, it’s caused by damage to the seventh cranial nerve (nerves that originate in the brain and pass through the skull) and is usually temporary. However, it’s recurrence or remission cannot be guaranteed.

Why does it happen?

Bell’s palsy is commonly caused due to a damage or trauma to the nerve. Research also says that certain viruses, that lay dormant in the body, can suddenly get activated and trigger an episode of Bell’s palsy. When other factors like injury to the nerve, environmental factors, metabolic and emotional disorders can precede the infection.

What are the symptoms?

The first visible symptoms of Bell’s palsy-- drooping of one side of the face-- manifests within 72 hours or three days. The eyelids and the corner of the mouth droop or become lopsided. Apart from that, the sufferer also experiences drooling, dry eyes or excessive tearing and altered sense of taste. In some cases, Bell’s palsy can also cause facial distortion.

Who’s at risk? Will I get it?

If you have a history of Bell’s palsy in the family, research says that there is a 4-14 percent chances of genetic inheritance. If you are pregnant, the risk of contracting the disease becomes three times more than non-pregnant women. Diabetics should also watch out because are also are an increased risk of developing Bell’s palsy than the general population.

Is it curable?

As mentioned by Apurva in the Facebook post, the condition is reversible since it is temporary, but there is no means to predict its future occurrence.

How is it treated?

Corticosteroids such as prednisolone are seen to be effective in the treatment of the disease. Antivirals, physiotherapy and sometimes even surgery is employed to treat the disease. Alternate medicine such as acupuncture and hyperbaric oxygen therapy is also used.

Who else suffered from Bell’s palsy?

Angelina Jolie recently revealed that she suffered from an attack of Bell’s palsy soon after she split from husband Brad Pitt. Singer Raageshwari Loomba, known for her hits “Duniya” and “Oye Shaava” was known to have suffered from the debilitating illness following a malarial infection. She was left with a slurry speech and paralysed on one side of her face. But with yoga, physiotherapy and electrical stimulation, the singer got back on her feet, having successfully beaten the disease.

Apurva has had a rough year with his public spat with filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actress Kangna Ranaut. He had accused the actress of meddling with his screenplay and elbowing his contributions out of the film credits. We sincerely hope that the brilliant writer finds the strength to face this temporary adversity heads on and makes a full recovery soon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 07, 2018 11:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).