An Adult Case of Laryngopharyngeal Edema with Mumps

Abstract

Mumps is a common disease in childhood and has many complications, but laryngopharyngeal edema is extremely rare. I report herein on an adult case of mumps with laryngopharyngeal edema. An 18-year-old man, diagnosed as having mumps, came to our hospital complaining of dyspnea and swelling of the submandibular and subaural regions. Fiberscopic findings revealed marked edema of the vallecula and left arytenoid. The patient was admitted to our hospital and treated with intravenous steroids. His edema was soon improved with the treatment and he was discharged without undergoing a tracheostomy. The edema in the current case was caused by circulatory disturbance of the lymphatic flow due to swelling of the submandibular glands. This finding suggests that the airway should always be examined laryngoscopically in any case of mumps with combined swelling of the parotid and submandibular glands.