Where is the parotid salivary gland located? What is it, why is it inflamed? You will find answers to all these questions in the materials of this article. You will also learn what symptoms are characteristic of the disease of this internal organ and how it is treated.
Basic information
What is the parotid salivary gland? You can see a photo of this body in this article.
This is a complex alveolar serous steamy salivary gland. It has an irregular shape, as well as a thin capsule that completely covers it. According to experts, the mass of such an organ reaches only 20-30 g.
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The human salivary glands are paired organs. They play a huge role in the process of digestion of food, and also have a direct impact on protein and mineral metabolism in the body.
The parotid salivary gland is just one type of organ under consideration. Alsothere are submandibular and sublingual glands.
How is the function performed?
Parotid, submandibular and sublingual salivary glands produce up to 2 liters of fluid per day. These organs are very important for moisturizing the oral mucosa, as well as for protecting against the introduction of pathogenic bacteria into the body. In addition, they are directly involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates and the excretion of certain medicinal substances.
It should also be noted that the parotid salivary gland plays the role of endocrine glands, having a beneficial effect on protein and mineral metabolism. This happens due to the presence in their secretion of a hormone-like substance called parotinin.
As you know, saliva helps the smooth passage of food into the throat, improves taste perception, and also increases the resistance of the human body to various infections with the help of lysozyme.
Anatomy and location
The parotid salivary gland has an irregular shape and a grayish-pink color. It is located in the parotid-chewing part of the face, immediately under the skin, downwards and in front of the auricle. Thus, this paired organ is located at the posterior edge of the masseter muscle, on the side of the lower jaw.
From above, this organ approaches the zygomatic arch, from behind - to the processes of the temporal bone (mastoid) and the anterior edge of the clavicular sternomastoideus muscle, and from below - to the lower jaw (to its corner).
The parotid gland is covered with a capsule called"parotid chewing fascia". Its density is uneven. For the most part, it is dense, but has loosened areas that cover the medial and upper surfaces of the gland.
The capsule in question protrudes into the salivary organ and divides it into lobes. Thus, the parotid gland has a lobular structure.
Features
The gland is supplied with blood through the parotid branches of the temporal artery. As for the venous outflow, it occurs with the help of the mandibular vein.
Parotid gland: inflammation
The common name for the inflammatory processes occurring in the salivary glands is the term "sialadenitis". Typically, such diseases occur when an infection enters along with blood or lymph, as well as in an ascending way - from the oral cavity. This pathological process can be purulent and serous.
The parotid salivary gland, which can become inflamed for various reasons, is prone to mumps or mumps. If this paired organ hurts and symmetrically swells in your child, then you can safely make the above diagnosis. It should be noted that male infertility is a complication of mumps. This is due to the fact that the mumps virus infects both the salivary glands and the germ cell tissue of the testicles. To prevent such a disease, vaccination is used, which is carried out for preschool children.
Other diseases
Inflammation of the parotid salivary gland, the treatment of whichwill be presented below, may indicate not only mumps. This organ is also susceptible to autoimmune diseases with the accumulation of lymphoid cells in its tissues. This disease is called Sjögren's syndrome. The cause of this disease may be viral infections in combination with a genetic predisposition.
Also, the glands in question are susceptible to stone sialadenitis. This disease is characterized by reactive inflammation and the formation of stones in the salivary duct. Such calculi prevent the outflow of saliva, which can cause the development of a retention cyst.
Why does it get inflamed?
The causes of inflammation of the parotid salivary gland are known to all specialists. This organ is susceptible to acute viral infection. Such a disease belongs to children and very often takes place in the form of epidemic outbreaks in school and preschool groups.
Most often, a viral infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Although cases of domestic infection are often noted. The main age of sick children is 5-10 years old.
Timely examination of the child can save him from many problems.
It should also be noted that this disease is also inherent in adults (more often men). And they endure it more difficult. Very often, complications in the form of infertility and testicular atrophy occur in adult patients.
Disease symptoms
Now you know what the parotid salivary gland is. Inflammation (symptoms of the disease will bepresented right now) of this organ should be treated immediately. How to understand that the patient is infected with mumps, or mumps? Firstly, a strong inflammatory process leads to an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees. This condition can be fixed up to one week.
Also, mumps is characterized by discomfort in the location of the parotid gland, which become more intense when trying to speak and eat food.
If you examine in detail the area where the organ is located, then in front of the auricle you can find at first a small, and eventually an increased swelling.
Other signs
The main sign of mumps, which doctors use for diagnosis, is the impaired functioning of both parotid glands. At the very beginning of the disease, an inflammatory increase in one organ is launched, and then the second.
After the gland increases its size several times, the patient's face becomes "mumps", that is, it expands downwards (acquires a pear-shaped shape). Also, the inflamed organ stretches the skin, which becomes unpleasant and shiny in appearance.
When palpated, the affected glands hurt quite a lot. Sometimes they squeeze the ear passages and cause discomfort. By the way, such a process may impair the patient's hearing.
Due to the fact that the outflow of saliva in the patient is disturbed, his mucous membrane becomes excessively dry. After a week, the swelling of the parotid glands gradually subsides. Together with thatother symptoms of the disease also disappear.
In addition to the viral origin, manifestations of mumps can occur due to injuries, infections and hypothermia.
Diagnosis of disease
Now you know why inflammation of the parotid salivary gland occurs. Symptoms, treatment of this disease are also presented in the materials of the article.
To diagnose such a disease, you should immediately consult a doctor. Experienced specialists make a diagnosis immediately after examining the patient. This is due to the fact that the symptoms of inflammation of the parotid gland are quite difficult to confuse with signs of other diseases. But in order to find the viral cause of this disease, many doctors recommend taking swabs from the oropharynx, as well as taking the secret of the organ for its subsequent analysis. By the way, blood is good for this. From this biological material, the virus can be isolated quite easily.
Often, to make a diagnosis, specialists examine paired blood sera of the patient. This analysis also reveals antibodies to the mumps virus.
Ultrasound
As mentioned above, only an examination by a facial surgeon or dentist is sufficient to diagnose the disease in question. But in some cases, to clarify the nature of the pathological process, specialists perform additional examinations. One of them is ultrasound of the soft tissues located above the salivary glands. In this case, doctors can:
- determine the presence of a calculus;
- assess the nature of the pathological process (for example, diffuse or localized);
- diagnose an inflammatory or other process in all salivary glands.
What to do if the parotid salivary gland is inflamed?
There are currently no drugs that can quickly cure parotitis. In uncomplicated cases, the treatment of this disease is symptomatic. It is aimed solely at preventing the development of complications.
In view of the fact that the disease in question is transmitted mainly by airborne droplets, daily wet cleaning with the use of disinfectant solutions should be included as a mandatory measure in the course of patient therapy. Also, the patient is advised to rinse his mouth with soda solutions and citric acid. Such procedures will increase salivation and help flush out the stagnant contents of the salivary glands.
In addition to all of the above, the patient needs:
- observe bed rest;
- apply alcohol or warm saline compresses to areas of inflammation;
- undergo warming physiotherapy treatments;
- rinse your mouth with various antiseptics.
Severe forms of sialadenitis require antibiotic therapy. Its goal is to eliminate the inflammatory process and restore the normal functioning of the gland.
To remove the tumor and improve the microcirculation of the organ, the patient is often prescribed compresses using Dimexide. If aafter that, the symptoms do not fade away, then intramuscular injections of sulfanilamide antibiotics and hyposensitizing agents are carried out. Also, sometimes they resort to drainage of the salivary glands. This procedure allows you to eliminate the stagnant contents of the gland and relieve signs of inflammation.
