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Start free with EleplanRamsay Hunt syndrome
ORPHA:3020Disease
Also called Facial nerve palsy due to VZV · Facial nerve palsy due to herpes zoster infection · Facial nerve paralysis due to VZV
What it is
A rare infectious disease characterized by herpes zoster oticus associated with peripheral facial nerve palsy, often also with other cranial nerve lesions. Patients present with a painful erythematous vesicular rash in and around one ear and facial paralysis on the same side. Other frequent manifestations include hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and nystagmus.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-9 / 100 000 (annual incidence, United States)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
ICD-10 codes
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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