A Novel Biomarker for Bell’s Palsy: The Pan-Immune-Inflammation Value

BACKGROUND: The pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) is a recently described novel biomarker obtained from complete blood count parameters. Systemic biomarkers have been investigated in a number of studies aimed at confirming the role of the inflammatory process in the etiology of Bell’s palsy (BP) and elucidating the association with prognosis. This study investigated the relationship between PIV and BP. METHODS: Sixty patients aged 18-75 years presenting with BP and 51 healthy controls with similar age and sex profiles were included in this retrospective study. Pan-immune-inflammation value and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) values were calculated and compared between the 2 groups. The severity of paralysis in the BP group was recorded according to the House–Brackmann (HB) grading system and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Both PIV and SII values were significantly higher in the BP group (P < .001). Intra-group comparisons based on paralysis grading revealed a significant difference in SII values in grades IV and V (P = .04). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that PIV may represent a useful and readily available biomarker reflecting systemic inflammation in patients with BP. However, larger prospective studies are now required to confirm its diagnostic and prognostic values. © 2026 The Author(s).