G51.0: Bell palsy
Your facial nerve is damaged.
The facial nerve runs from both sides of the brain to different parts of the head. The nerve does different things. For example, it controls a lot of facial muscles. The nerve is also important for our sense of taste. It also affects our hearing and how much saliva and tears are formed.
When the facial nerve is damaged, one may have a range of symptoms. The symptoms also depend on exactly where the nerve is damaged. Facial muscles are often paralyzed as a result. One may then be unable to close one’s eye properly, or have a drooping mouth. Sometimes one may no longer be able to taste or hear properly. Saliva or tears may no longer be formed properly.
The facial nerve may get damaged due to inflammation, for example. The nerve may also get injured or compressed. However, the cause of the nerve damage is often unclear.
Additional indicator
On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.
- G: Confirmed diagnosis
- V: Tentative diagnosis
- Z: Condition after
- A: Excluded diagnosis
- L: Left
- R: Right
- B: Both sides
Further information
Note
This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.
Source
Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
