Causes and Risks:

Acute dacryoadenitis is most commonly due to infection with a virus or bacteria. Common causes include mumps, Epstein-Barr virus, staphylococcus, and gonococcus. Chronic dacryoadenitis is usually due to non-infectious inflammatory disorders. Examples include sarcoidosis, thyroid eye disease, and orbital pseudotumor.

Prevention:

Mumps can be prevented by immunization. Gonococcus, the bacteria causing gonorrhea, can be avoided by the use of condoms. Most other causes cannot be prevented.

Symptoms:

• Swelling of the outer portion of the upper lid, with possible redness and tenderness
• Pain in the area of swelling
• Excess tearing or ticker discharge
• Swelling of lymph nodes in front of the ear

Signs and Tests:

Dacryoadenitis can be diagnosed by examination of the eyes and lids. Special tests may be required to search for the cause. Sometimes biopsy will be needed to be sure that a tumor of the lacrimal gland is not present.

Treatment:

Where the underlying diagnosis is known and self-limited, such as mumps, simple rest and warm compresses may be all that is needed. For other causes, the treatment is specific to the causative disease.

Prognosis:

Where the underlying diagnosis is known and self-limited, such as mumps, most patients will fully recover. For more serious causative conditions, such as sarcoidosis, the prognosis is that of the underlying condition.

Complications:

Swelling may be severe enough to put pressure on the eye and distort vision. Some patients first thought to have dacryoadenitis may turn out to have a malignancy of the lacrimal gland.

Call your health care provider if swelling or pain increase despite treatment.