Selective IgA deficiency in children with recurrent parotitis of childhood.

Recurrent parotitis of childhood is defined as the relapsing form of juvenile (idiopathic) parotitis and represents a rare inflammatory disorder of the parotid gland with potentially significant morbidity. We reviewed the charts of patients who were diagnosed with inflammatory parotid diseases in our institution between 1992 and 2002. There were 91 patients presenting with juvenile parotitis (1 of 6117 of all clinical visits). Of these 91 cases, 23 patients (28%) had the relapsing form of juvenile parotitis, and the median number of episodes was 5 (range, 2-20). Laboratory investigations revealed that 5 patients had selective IgA deficiency. The prevalence (22%) is different from the cumulative prevalence of IgA deficiency in a healthy population (0.3%; P < 0.001).