<unk>  can be caused by cancer, autoimmune conditions, viral and bacterial infections, idiopathic causes or stones formed mainly from calculus. It was thought that morphological characteristics of the salivary ducts could also be a contributing factor, as stagnation of saliva due to these could perhaps cause an increased incidence of<unk> . However, one study found no statistically significant difference between the length of ducts or the angles they incorporate within them and the likelihood of developing<unk> , although this study only had a small sample size of 106. The study also confirmed that age, gender, side of face and degree of<unk>  had no impact on the length of the ducts or the angles formed within the ducts. Viral pathogens more commonly cause<unk>  in comparison to bacterial pathogens. Mumps is the most common virus that affects the parotid and submandibular glands, with the parotid gland affected most often out of these two. Other viruses that have been shown to cause<unk>  in both these glands include HIV, coxsackie, and parainfluenza. Classically, HIV parotitis is either asymptomatic or a non-painful swelling, which is not characteristic of<unk> . Some common bacterial causes are S. aureus, S. pyogenes, viridans streptococci and H. influenzae. Autoimmune conditions that can cause<unk>  include Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, and granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Sjögren’s syndrome and Sarcoidosis are the most common causes of chronic<unk>  and are often closely associated with it, and in many cases are believed to be the primary cause, although often with other contributing factors present also. One well known form of sarcoidosis is known as Heerfordt’s syndrome which is characterized by facial nerve palsy, enlargement of the parotid and anterior uveitis. One study came to the conclusion that the presence of salivary calculi is the main indicator for the removal of the submandibular gland, in patients where neoplasia is absent. This was because 82% of glands removed in an ENT department in Stockholm were found to have salivary calculi within them and all of these cases but one had chronic<unk> . A mucous retention cyst was found in one patient, but this was not considered to have contributed to the<unk>  in this case. The duration of the<unk>  was found to be closely linked to atrophy, fibrosis and the degree of the inflammation in another study, which looked primarily at microliths found in the ducts and glands. Liths were also found to be related to the duration that the individual had symptoms of<unk> , whereas microliths were found in normal glands and varied with age. Microliths could possibly form reservoirs, thus allowing infection to ascend further towards the glands but this could not be confirmed due to the liths and microliths being distinct in this study. However, many glands did show only very minimal variations, which could allow the opportunity for more conservative treatment instead of the surgical removal of the affected gland in the future.
Sialadenitis
Laryngitis
Phlegmon
Tonsillitis
Pharyngitis
Posthitis
Sinusitis
Placentitis