Clinical Aspects of Recurrent Parotitis in Children

Abstract

Forty-two cases of recurrent parotitis in children under 12 years of age were observed from 1989to 1997 in our institute. The patients consisted of 24 boys and 18 girls. The age of onset ranged from one to nine years, and was under 2 years in half of the patients and under 4 years in 85%. The average age of decrease in parotid swelling frequency was 6 years. As to their clinical course, the lesion was healed in 16 cases and not healed in 10 cases. The results in the remainder were not obtained. The average period until healing in 16 cases was 3 years and 5 months. Bacteria were found in saliva from 30 of 31 cases. The isolated bacteria were streptococcus viridans and neisseria. Penicillin-insensitive streptococcus pneumoniae (PISP) was isolated in one case. The titers of IgG, IgA and IgM were within the normal range. It seemed that there was little relation between the frequency in a year of parotid swelling and the clinical course. There did not appear to be any relation between the time of the onset of recurrent parotitis and the clinical course.