Parotitis is an inflammation of one or both parotid glands, the major salivary glands located on either side of the face, in humans. The parotid gland is the salivary gland most commonly affected by inflammation. Etymology
From Greek παρωτῖτις (νόσος), parōtĩtis (nósos) : (disease of the) parotid gland < παρωτίς (stem παρωτιδ-) : (gland) behind the ear < παρά - pará : behind, and οὖς - ous (stem ὠτ-, ōt-) : ear. Causes
Dehydration
Dehydration:
This is a common, non-infectious cause of parotitis. It may occur in elderly or after surgery. Infectious parotitis
Acute bacterial parotitis:
is most often caused by a bacterial infection of Staphylococcus aureus but may be caused by any commensal bacteria. Parotitis presents as swelling at the angle of the jaw. Bacterial parotitis presents as a unilateral swelling, where the gland is swollen and tender and usually produces pus at the Stensens duct. This pus is usually sampled and the bacteria within are identified. Common causative bacteria are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and E coli. It is associated with poor oral hygiene; oral infections and decreased saliva production. Symptoms include fever, dehydration, chills, fast heartbeat and breathing if the infection is causing sepsis. Medications such as antihistamines and diuretics can be predisposing factors. Treatment is usually antibiotics.Parotitis as extrapulmonary tuberculosis:
The mycobacterium that cause tuberculosis can also cause parotid infection. Parotid swelling can be an uncommon symptom of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB outside of the lungs). The usual symptoms are a cough, fever, weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain, tiredness and chills.
Chemical chaperone
In cystic fibrosis, a point mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator protein, ΔF508-CFTR, causes it to be unstable and misfold, hence trapped in the endoplasmic reticulum and unable to reach the cell membrane. This lack of CFTR in the cell membrane leads to disrupted chloride transport and the symptoms of cystic fibrosis. Sodium phenylbutyrate can act as a chemical chaperone, stabilising the mutant CFTR in the endoplasmic reticulum and allowing it to reach the cell surface. Histone deacetylase inhibitor
Deriving from its activity as a histone deacetylase inhibitor, sodium phenylbutyrate is under investigation for use as a potential differentiation-inducing agent in malignant glioma and acute myeloid leukaemia, and also for the treatment of some sickle-cell disorders as an alternative to hydroxycarbamide due it inducing expression of fetal hemoglobin to replace missing adult hemoglobin. While small-scale investigation is proceeding, there is to date no published data to support the use of the compound in the clinical treatment of cancer, and it remains under limited investigation. Sodium phenylbutyrate is also being studied as a therapeutic option for the treatment of Huntingtons disease. Other
Phenylbutyrate has been associated with longer lifespans in Drosophila.University of Colorado researchers Dr. Curt Freed and Wenbo Zhou demonstrated that phenylbutyrate stops the progression of Parkinsons disease in mice by turning on a gene called DJ-1 that can protect dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain from dying. As of July 2011 they plan on testing phenylbutyrate for the treatment of Parkinsons disease in humans. Pharmacology
Phenylbutyrate is a prodrug.