Swelling of Parotid / Salivary Glands
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Reviewed By:

Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC

Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))

Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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Content updated on Mar 7, 2024

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  • Salivary glands are getting bigger

  • Salivary glands are swollen

  • Swelling of parotid glands

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About the Symptom

It refers to the swelling of the parotid glands, which are salivary glands located on the sides of the face in the cheeks extending down to the jawline. Swelling may be due to dehydration, infection, inflammation, or even masses.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

  • Swelling below the ear/s

Possible Causes

Generally, Swelling of parotid / salivary glands can be related to:

  • Sjogren syndrome

    An autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the organs that produce tears and saliva, resulting in dry eyes and dry mouth. In some cases, internal organs can also be gradually affected. Disease severity is highly variable.

  • Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia

    Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is a type of blood vessel tumor with blood vessel inflammation and swelling. The cause is unclear but may be due to injury and often recurs after treatment. It's most common in young and middle-aged adults.

  • Malignant lymphoma

    A malignant lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the body's lymphatic system cells and can spread to other body parts. There are dozens of different kinds of lymphomas which are broadly categorized as "Hodgkins Lymphomas" and "Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas" (NHL). The different types are also classified by the cell type the cancer comes from and each different type of lymphoma has its own patterns of spread, treatments, and prognosis The most frequent symptom is swollen lymph nodes. Fevers, night sweats, itchiness, and fatigue can also be seen with lymphomas as can difficulty breathing or abdominal pain. Risk factors include age, family history, a weakened immune system from medications or illness, prior cancer treatments, viral infections such as Epstein-Barr and HIV.

  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Mixed connective tissue disease
  • Common cold (upper respiratory tract infection)
  • Sarcoidosis (including erythema nodosum-like eruption)

Related serious diseases

Sometimes, Swelling of parotid / salivary glands may be related to these serious diseases:

  • Mumps

    A highly contagious infection caused by the mumps virus. Swelling of the salivary glands on the face usually starts within a few days of catching the virus. There may be pain or tenderness around the swelling as well.

  • Cervical lymphadenitis
  • Kawasaki disease

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

  • Is the area near your ear swollen?

  • Do you have a fever?

  • Do you have joint pain?

  • Do you have any skin problems?

  • Did you lose weight recently?

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Find Similar Symptoms

Symptoms from similar body parts

References

  • Parotitis - Cleveland Clinic

    https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23577-parotitis-parotid-gland-swelling

  • Parotid Gland Swelling - Up To Date

    https://www.uptodate.com/contents/salivary-gland-swelling-evaluation-and-diagnostic-approach

Reviewed By:

Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC

Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))

Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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