Table 1 Etiologies of facial nerve palsy in pediatric age

Congenital causes

1. Birth trauma

2. Genetic syndrome

 • Fascioscapulohumeral dystrophy

 • Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome

 • Osteopetrosis (Albers-Schönberg disease)

 • Goldehar syndrome

Acquired causes

1. Idiopathic (Bell’s palsy)

2. Infectious disease

 • Bacterial infection: Lyme disease (Borreliaburgodorferi), Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, other

 • Virus infection: Herpes zoster (Ramsay Hunt syndrome), Epstein-barr virus, Cytomegalovirus, Adenovirus, Human herpesvirus type 6, coxsackie virus, SARS-CoV-2, other

 • Acute otitis media and Acute mastoiditis

3. Inflammatory disease

 • Henoch-Schönlein purpura

 • Kawasaki disease

 • Guillan-Barrè syndrome

4. Neoplastic disease

 • Posterior fossa tumors

 • Facial nerve scwannoma

 • Parotid gland tumors

 • Leukaemia and Lymphoma

5. Traumatic

 • Temporal bone fracture

 • Iatrogenic

6. Metabolic diseases

 • Diabetes mellitus

 • Hyperparathyroidism

 • Hypothyroidism

7. Other

 • Hypertension, autoimmune diseases…