Do I Have Ramsay Hunt Syndrome?

Do you have a rash or blisters in or around the ear, scalp or hair line?

Do you have the blisters inside your mouth?

Do you have a generalized sensation of burning over the affected area?

Do you have weakness on the affected side of your face which causes the facial muscles to droop?

Are you unable to make any kind of facial expression on the affected side?

Do you have difficulty closing your eye or blinking on the affected side?

Do you have altered taste on the affected half of the tongue?

Do you have difficulty eating, drinking and speaking due to a weakness in the lip and cheek on the affected side?

Do you have pain in your ear or face?

Do you have a headache?

Do you have hearing loss on the affected side?

Do you have ringing in your ear (tinnitus) on the affected side?

Do you have dizziness (vertigo)?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you recovered from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and years later can be reactivated causing shingles, a painful skin rash with blisters. Ramsay Hunt syndrome represents a shingles outbreak that affects the facial nerve near your ear. It is common in people over 60. In some cases, Ramsay Hunt syndrome may cause permanent hearing loss and facial weakness, so shingles vaccine is recommended for the elderly. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is not contagious and it is rare in children.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS). Ramsay Hunt syndrome also known as herpes zoster oticus is characterized by a paralysis of the facial nerve and a painful skin rash around one of your ear. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults. Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when previously dormant varicella-zoster virus gets reactivated. The reason why the virus reactivates is still unknown. In most cases, the rash and the facial paralysis appear simultaneously, but some patients experience one before the other. It is also possible that rash never occurs.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Ramsey Hunt syndrome (PHS, herpes zoster oticus) is a neurological disorder that refers to facial paralysis and a specific painful rash that affects your ear. It is caused by the dormant varicella zoster virus, which can be reactivated at any time when your immune system is weakened and less able to fight of infection. Stress is a trigger as well. It is necessary to start treatment within three days after the first symptoms appear, in order to avoid serious complications such as permanent hearing loss and facial weakness, blurred vision and postherpetic neuralgia.