Another Cause of Parotitis
Editors: Lawrence F. Nazarian, MD.
A case of mumps parotitis was presented in a previous section of Index of Suspicion (Quion N, DeWitt G. Mumps parotitis. Pediatrics in Review. 1995; 16:349-351). Dr Marcelo Laufer of the University of Miami points out that parotid gland enlargement is a manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and that clinicians must consider this disorder in the differential diagnosis of parotitis. Infectious disease consultants point out that although children who have HIV infection are more susceptible to mumps, most of the parotitis seen in these children is probably caused by the HIV agent itself.
