New concepts in the treatment of chronic recurrent parotitis

The release of glandular kallikrein into the interstitium of the parotid gland appears to play an important role in the occurrence of the inflammatory interstitial edema in chronic recurrent parotitis. This provides fresh impetus for the treatment of this parotid disease with a kallikrein inhibitor. In our present study, seven patients with acute exacerbated chronic recurrent parotitis were treated with the kallikrein inhibitor aprotinin (Trasylol, Bayer AG, Leverkusen). With this therapy all patients were free of pain 12 h after the start of the therapy and most salivary gland function had returned to normal by 48 h after beginning treatment. Within this period of time, concomitant swelling of the affected parotid gland disappeared completely in five patients and resolved in the other two patients after 1 week.