A case report of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome in adolescence

Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome is characterized by the triad: recurrent orofacial edema, facial paralysis and fissured tongue. It is a rare disorder and it can manifest itself in oligosymptomatic or monosymptomatic form. In this report, a 13-year-old patient is presented with peripheral facial paralysis and daily headache since the age of eight, mainly in the temporal and frontal regions, in bilateral masseters and holocranial, with pain at night without warning signs. After the first episode of facial paralysis, she continued outpatient follow-up with partial improvement in eyelid movements and lip deviation. The diagnosis of Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome had been established due to the presence of persistent peripheral facial paralysis, in addition to two episodes of plicated tongue and orofacial edema in crises. The importance of carrying out early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to improve quality of life and investigation of an underlying systemic disease, which may or may not be present, is highlighted.