Inflammation of the Parotid Gland

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS MANUAL

Inflammation of the parotid gland, or parotitis, can be caused by various factors, including infections, obstructions, and autoimmune diseases. This condition manifests clinically in different ways depending on the underlying cause.

Pathology	Diagnosis of Suspicion	Diagnosis of Confirmation
Obstruction of the Parotid Duct	Pain and swelling of the parotid gland during meals, possible dry mouth.	Sialography showing obstruction; ultrasound may detect stones.
Parotid Tumour	Palpable mass in the gland, gradual swelling, possibly painful.	Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) biopsy to determine the nature of the tumour.
Mumps Parotitis	Bilateral swelling of the parotids, fever, pain when eating, in the context of a known epidemic.	Specific serology for the mumps virus.
Suppurative Parotid Infection	Acute pain in the parotid, fever, visible pus in the gland’s duct.	Culture of ductal secretions to identify the infectious agent.
Non-Suppurative Parotitis due to Ascending Ductal Infection	Recurrent pain in the parotid, dry mouth, mild swelling.	Ultrasound and cultures to detect chronic infection.
Sjögren’s Parotid Syndrome	Persistent dry mouth and eyes, parotid swelling, fatigue.	Specific antibody tests (anti-Ro/SSA, anti-La/SSB), salivary gland biopsy.
Parotid Sarcoidosis	Chronic parotid swelling, systemic symptoms of sarcoidosis such as dyspnoea or skin rashes.	Parotid biopsy showing non-caseating granulomas, imaging tests.