Dacryoadenitis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Keywords and Synonyms: Blocked tear duct

Overview

Dacryoadenitis is inflammation of the lacrimal glands (the tear-producing glands).

Causes

Acute Causes

• Epstein-Barr virus
• Gonococcus
• Mumps
• Staphylococcus

Chronic Causes

Chronic dacryoadenitis is usually due to noninfectious inflammatory disorders.

• Orbital pseudotumor
• Sarcoidosis
• Thyroid eye disease

Differential Diagnosis of Underlying Causes of Dacryoadenitis

Organized by organ system

Cardiovascular	No underlying causes
Chemical / poisoning	No underlying causes
Dermatologic	No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect	No underlying causes
Ear Nose Throat	No underlying causes
Endocrine	Thyroid disease
Environmental	No underlying causes
Gastroenterologic	No underlying causes
Genetic	No underlying causes
Hematologic	Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Iatrogenic	No underlying causes
Infectious Disease	Bacterial: Gonococcus, Myocabacterium, Staphylococcus, Viral: Epstein-Barr virus, Influenza, Measles, Mumps
Musculoskeletal / Ortho	No underlying causes
Neurologic	No underlying causes
Nutritional / Metabolic	No underlying causes
Oncologic	No underlying causes
Opthalmologic	orbital pseudotumor
Overdose / Toxicity	No underlying causes
Psychiatric	No underlying causes
Pulmonary	No underlying causes
Renal / Electrolyte	No underlying causes
Rheum / Immune / Allergy	Sarcoid
Trauma	No underlying causes
Miscellaneous	No underlying causes

Diagnosis

Symptoms

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

Physical Examination

Dacryoadenitis can be diagnosed by examination of the eyes and lids.

Imaging

CT

Special tests such as a CT scan may be required to search for the cause.

Biopsy

Sometimes biopsy will be needed to be sure that a tumor of the lacrimal gland is not present.

Treatment

If the cause of dacryoadenitis is a viral condition 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

Most patients will fully recover from dacryoadenitis. For conditions with more serious causes, 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.

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.

External links

• Source (NIH/Medline)