Benign recurrent parotitis of childhood: Experience in the diagnosis of the disease in a high complexity hospital in Latin America

Abstract

Objectives: Benign recurrent parotitis of childhood (BRPC) is a clinically relevant disease in childhood. Its diagnosis, however, is usually not made due to the lack of knowledge regarding such a condition. The aim of this study is to describe the most relevant aspects of this condition and propose a simple therapeutic approach. Materials and Methods: We did a descriptive analysis of pediatric patients diagnosed with viral parotitis and BRPC between 2008 and 2018, at the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogotá, Colombia. Results: 41 patients with BRPC where included; 51.2% were female, with a mean age of 7.1 years. Thirty-two patients (78%) with diagnosis of BRPC underwent diagnostic imaging, despite the low rate of complications (19,5%). The diagnosis was made by otolaryngologists or pediatricians in 80% of the cases. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the study with the largest number of BRPC cases in Latin America. It is essential to know about this disease and take into account its benign course and few complication rates, in order to avoid both wasting of resources in the use of unnecessary imaging and the overdiagnosis of mumps.

Keywords

• child
• mumps
• parotitis