Evaluation of Children Diagnosed with Juvenile Recurrent Parotitis

Özet

Objective: Juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) in children is a clinical condi-tion characterized with recurrent episodes of non-obstructive, non-sup-purative parotid gland inflammation. Its etiology is not fully understood. We aimed to call attention to JRP, which represents as a diagnostic chal-lenge for many physicians because of its rarity.Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical charts of children who were diagnosed with JRP at Ankara University Children’s Hospital between November 2014-June 2018.Results: Eleven children (6 female, 5 male) with a median age of 5 (2.5-13.5) years were identified during the study period. Presenting symptoms were painful parotid swelling (n= 11) and fever (n= 7). Physical examina-tion revealed firm, smooth and tender parotid swelling (7 unilateral, 4 bilateral). Ultrasonography demonstrated enlarged parotid glands with multiple hypoechoic areas. All children were treated conservatively with analgesics and empirical antibiotics. Evaluation for accompanying dis-eases revealed ANA positivity in 4 and hypogammaglobulinemia in 3 children. Total recurrence of episodes varied between 1-12 in a follow-up period of 5-44 months.Conclusion: JRP should be kept in mind in children with repeated ep-isodes of parotitis. The diagnosis is primarily clinical, further confirmed with ultrasonography. Current management is conservative. Evaluation for underlying rheumatologic diseases or immune defects should be considered.