Disease, Ramsey Hunt

A herpes virus infection of the geniculate nerve ganglion, Ramsey Hunt disease causes paralysis of the facial muscles on the same side of the face as the infection. It is usually associated with a rash (vesicles or tiny water-filled bumps in the skin) in or around the ear, and sometimes on the roof of the mouth. Ramsey Hunt disease is more commonly more painful than Bell’s palsy and the prognosis for Ramsey Hunt disease is not as good as that for Bell’s palsy. There is good clinical evidence to suggest that treatment with steroids and antiviral agents (like acyclovir) improve recovery and lessen pain. The Ramsay Hunt syndrome is named for one person, the American neurologist James Ramsay Hunt (1872-1937), and so does not have a hyphen between the “Ramsay” and the “Hunt.”