The 47-year-old woman woke up suddenly with a distorted mouth and could not close her right eye. She went to Cam Khe District Medical Center for emergency treatment.
On June 24, a representative of Cam Khe District Medical Center said the patient had facial paralysis due to cold exposure. The night before, she turned on the bedroom air conditioner at a low temperature. When she woke up in the morning, she had unusual symptoms and thought she was having a stroke.
Patients undergoing rehabilitation treatment at the Department of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation. After 4 days, her facial paralysis improved but did not fully recover.
Doctor Pham Anh Hung, Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cam Khe District Medical Center, said nerve number 7 is the motor nerve, controlling facial muscle movements. Peripheral 7th nerve paralysis is a condition of complete loss of movement or weakness of the muscles of half the face, occurring when this nerve is compressed and causes inflammation. 75% of cases occur when the body suddenly becomes cold.
Most peripheral 7th nerve paralysis is not immediately life-threatening. However, in the long term, if not treated promptly, the disease can turn into spastic paralysis, affecting emotions and aesthetics such as facial imbalance, distorted mouth, eyes not closing tightly, half-face convulsions, corneal ulcer…
The doctor recommends that in the summer, families should not turn on the air conditioner too cold, do not stay in the air-conditioned room for too long, and should open the door to ventilate to the outside. The air conditioner should not be set too low, maintaining about 25-28 degrees Celsius. In the room, you should use a humidifier to avoid dry skin, ensuring a humidity of 60-70%.
Avoid air conditioning blowing directly on you. If you want to go out, you need time to get used to the new temperature. Staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time can cause the body to lose water quickly, so people need to make sure to replenish the body with enough water. Families should regularly maintain air conditioners to avoid mold and bacteria residing in the machine’s parts.