Parotitis
General information
The acute inflammation of the parotid gland (technical term: parotitis) usually begins suddenly. Many affected patients experience sudden discomfort and severe swelling in the cheek area during eating. In most cases, bacterial pathogens that enter the parotid gland through the excretory duct are responsible for the development of an acute inflammation of the parotid gland.
Patients suffering from a chronic immune deficiency as well as people with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus are particularly at risk of developing parotid gland inflammation. In addition, relapses of the disease can often be observed, especially during pregnancy. A further cause for the development of an acute inflammation of the parotid gland is a limited fluid intake and the associated reduction in saliva production.
Bacteria that have migrated into the ear cannot be flushed out of the gland’s excretory ducts due to a decrease in saliva secretion. The risk of developing an acute inflammation of the parotid gland increases. In addition to bacterial pathogens, other factors can also be responsible for the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the parotid gland area.
In about 60 to 90 percent of the observed cases, salivary stones that impair salivary flow could be detected. However, in most cases an exact causal attribution is not possible. It is rather assumed that the acute inflammation of the parotid gland is a multifactorial disease in which the interaction of various risk factors is a decisive factor in the development of the disease.
This disease is a very common phenomenon. In some cases the inflammation of the parotid gland is almost asymptomatic and is not perceived as a disease. In general, it can be assumed that approximately one in two to three people will experience at least one acute inflammation of the parotid gland in their lifetime. Women are affected about as frequently as men. A correlation between the age of the patient and the likelihood of the disease has not been proven to date.
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