Request an Appointment

Toggle navigation
  • blog
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Upper Valley ENT & Allergy

256 N. 2nd E. Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 656-9646 / (208) 656-9645 FAX

  • Staff
  • Office
    • Forms
      • Medical Release Form
  • Surgery Center
    • Pre Op Forms
      • Surgery Instructions
      • Welcome Letter
      • Patient Rights and Responsibilities
      • Financial Agreement
      • Advance Directive Policy
    • Post Op Forms
      • Post Op Baha Instructions
      • Post Op Ear Tube Instructions
      • Post Op Facial Fracture Repair Instructions
      • Drain Log
      • Post Op Head and Neck Surgery Instructions
      • Post Op Skin Lesions / Skin Cancer Removal Instructions
      • Post Op Tonsillectomy Instructions
      • Post Op Thyroidectomy Instructions
      • Post Op Nasal and/or Sinus Surgery Instructions
      • Upper Vallet ENT & Allergy - Verbal Instructions
    • Post Op Forms - Spanish
      • Post Op Facial Fracture Instructions (Spanish)
      • Surgery Instructions (Spanish)
      • Post Op Baha Instructions (Spanish)
      • Post Op Ear Tube Instructions (Spanish)
      • Post Op Head and Neck Surgery Instructions (Spanish)
      • Post Op Nasal and/or Sinus Surgery Instructions (Spanish)
  • Services
  • New Patients
    • New Patient Forms
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • Patient Education
    • Throat
    • Ears
    • Nose
    • Head & Neck
    • Thyroid & Parathyroid
    • Sleep & Snoring
    • Facial, Plastic & Reconstructive
    • Kids ENT Health

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.

As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS), also known as herpes zoster oticus, is a rare yet severe condition that causes facial weakness or paralysis and a rash on the outer ear. The same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles, the varicella zoster virus, can spread and affect the facial nerve, which controls movement of each side of the face. The virus also causes the ear to break out in a serious, painful rash.

What Are the Symptoms of RHS?

Symptoms of RHS all occur on the same side of the face but may not occur at the same time. They include:

  • Decreased movement of one side of the face
  • Painful rash with fluid-filled blisters on the ear skin and ear canal
  • Hearing loss, ringing in the ear
  • Vertigo
  • Dry mouth, dry eyes
  • Change in taste

What Causes RHS?

RHS is caused by a reactivation of the herpes zoster virus that may have caused chickenpox in childhood. This virus stays in the body and can attack the nerve that controls facial movements and the sensory nerve that supplies the face. This virus can also cause shingles, a stinging rash on one side of the body, in adults. RHS occurs in one out of every 20,000 people each year, usually in older adults but rarely in children. It can affect men and women equally.

What Are the Treatment Options?

Treatment for RHS includes antiviral therapies and corticosteroids. Starting these medications as soon as possible helps improve recovery. When symptoms are severe, these medications can be given intravenously (IV) in the hospital.

RHS can be a very painful condition, too. Pain control with multiple types of medications is important during treatment and even after the rash goes away and facial movement returns. Because patients have difficulty closing the eye due to facial nerve paralysis, eye moisturization and lubrication is very important. Medication for nausea and dizziness is also helpful during treatment to support recovery.

What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor?

  1. Is my facial paralysis caused by RHS or by another condition?
  2. Is my facial paralysis going to be permanent?
  3. Will my hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and/or vertigo become permanent?
  4. How can I protect my eye?
  5. Will this virus cause permanent nerve fiber pain (postherpetic neuralgia) once it goes away? How can I treat that?

 

Copyright 2021. American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Last reviewed April 2020.


Learn More

  • Ears
  • Nose
  • Throat
  • Allergy
  • Pediatric
  • Surgery Center

Patient Education

Patient Education
  • Throat
    • Aging and Swallowing
    • Aspiration
    • Cricopharyngeal Muscle Dysfunction
    • Dysphagia
    • GERD and LPR
    • Hoarseness
    • Salivary Gland Disorders
    • Sore Throats
    • Spasmodic Dysphonia
    • Tonsillitis
    • Tonsils and Adenoids
    • Vocal Cord Paralysis
    • Voice Box (Laryngeal) Cancer
    • Zenker’s Diverticulum
  • Ears
    • Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease
    • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
    • Cholesteatoma
    • Conductive Hearing Loss
    • Earaches
    • Ears and Altitude (Barotrauma)
    • Earwax (Cerumen Impaction)
    • Hyperacusis
    • Ménière’s Disease
    • Otosclerosis
    • Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
    • Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)
    • Swimmer's Ear
    • Tinnitus
    • Vestibular Schwannoma
  • Nose
    • Asthma
    • Dysgeusia
    • Deviated Septum
    • Fungal Sinusitis
    • Geriatric Rhinitis
    • Hyposmia and Anosmia
    • Nosebleeds
    • Post-Nasal Drip
    • Sinus Headaches
    • Sinusitis
    • Rhinitis
    • Turbinate Hypertrophy
  • Head & Neck
    • Bell's Palsy
    • Fine Needle Aspiration
    • Graves’ Disease
    • Head and Neck Cancer
    • Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
    • Neck Mass in Adults
    • Sialadenitis
    • Skin Cancer
    • Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) Pain
  • Thyroid & Parathyroid
    • Goiter
    • Hyperthyroidism
    • Pediatric Thyroid Cancer
    • Thyroid Cancer
    • Thyroid Nodules
  • Sleep & Snoring
    • Pediatric Sleep-disordered Breathing
    • Snoring, Sleeping Disorders and Sleep Apnea
  • Facial, Plastic & Reconstructive
    • Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
    • Nasal Fractures
  • Kids ENT Health
    • Ankyloglossia (Tongue-tie)
    • Pediatric Hearing Loss
    • Pediatric Sinusitis
    • Pediatric Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Our Location

256 N. 2nd E.
Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 656-9646
(208) 656-9645 FAX


Map & Directions

Patient Portal


Click here to make a payment for our clinic or surgery center:

Make a Payment Here!

Rexburg, Upper Valley ENT & Allergy, Rexburg ID, 83440 (208) 656-9646 / (208) 656-9645 FAX

  • Home
  • Staff
  • Office
  • Services
  • New Patients
  • Patient Education
  • Contact Us
  • Patient Education
  • Copyright © MH Sub I, LLC dba Officite
  • Disclaimer
  • Patient Privacy
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination
  • Site Map