Salivary Gland Infection-Parotitis, Sialadenitis or Sialoadentis
A salivary gland infection is also known as parotitis or sialadenitis (inflammation of the salivary glands).
The largest of the salivary glands are the parotid glands. There are two parotid glands, one in front of each ear; each extends down to the lower jaw. Also, there is parotid tissue beneath and behind the ear lobe. There are two submandibular glands, one below each jaw-line, midway between the chin and the ear lobe. Normally, each submandibular gland is thumb-size. If inflamed, the gland can swell to three or four times its original size. Finally, there are two small sublingual glands located beneath the tongue and about 10,000 microscopic (minor) salivary glands, scattered throughout the nasal cavity, oral cavity, and throat.
Sialadenitis can be due to a viral infection. For example, mumps is a viral infection that typically involves swelling of the parotid glands. More commonly, sialadenitis is due to a bacterial infection and the most common bacterium to cause swelling is called Staphylococcus.
Occasionally, sialadenitis is not due to infection at all. It is a disease known as Sjogren’s syndrome where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the salivary glands and tear-producing (lacrimal) glands.
The swelling can be sudden and painful and the gland can become extraordinarily large. This rarely represents a tumor because tumors do not appear instantly and tumors do not come and go from one month to the next.
On a rare occasion a small tumor (located near one of the main drainage ducts of a salivary gland) can compress the duct, impairing the flow of saliva. This can predispose the patient to reoccurring bouts of sialadenitis. More common predisposing factors are salivary gland stones (sialolithiasis) and narrowing of the salivary gland ducts.
Unfortunately, some doctors may misdiagnose a salivary gland infection, mistakenly assuming the patient has swollen lymph nodes. The doctor may fail to recognize a bacterial infection and not treat the patient with antibiotics. Worse yet, the doctor may treat the patient with an antibiotic that does not fight against Staphylococcus, such as amoxicillin.
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