Burden, Demographic Patterns, and Temporal Trends of Parotitis in Saudi Arabia, 2015–2023: A Multicenter Electronic Health Record Study

Rimah Abdullah Saleem^1*Hatouf Sukkarieh²Rana K Alkattan^3,4,5Rami Bustami⁶Sarah Daher⁷Noara Alhusseini²Rajaa Fakhoury²

• ¹College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ²Alfaisal University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ³Department of Restorative and Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁴King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁵Dental Services King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of the National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶Alfaisal University College of Business, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ⁷Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanon

Background Parotitis is an inflammation of the parotid glands. It can be acute or chronic based on etiological factors such as bacterial and viral infections, autoimmune and metabolic disorders. The prevalence and characteristics of parotitis among the Saudi population are unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the frequency, demographic patterns, and temporal trends of parotitis in Saudi Arabia. Methodology This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from five tertiary medical centers (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, and Taif) of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) between 2015 and 2023. Data from clinically diagnosed patients with parotitis were collected, including demographics, patient type, body mass index (BMI), and region. Statistical analysis was conducted using R (version 4.3.2). Categorical variables were expressed as counts (%) and continuous variables as mean (SD) or median (IQR), as appropriate. Several statistical tests were performed, including annual counts and proportions for temporal trends, and join-point regression to estimate data-driven change points. Statistical significance was estimated at a P-value of less than 0.05. Results A total of 1340 cases of parotitis were recorded between March 2015 and March 2023. The average age at diagnosis was 27.2 years. Males accounted for 54.6% of this cohort, 36.67% of the patients were underweight, and 19.2% were obese. Additionally, 49% of the cases were inpatients, and the majority (66.1%) resided in Riyadh. Within the designated timeframe (2015-2023), no significant changes in parotitis occurrence were observed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a higher frequency among patients aged 1-20 years. Conclusion This exploratory study characterized parotitis cases among Saudi patients. The high frequency of parotitis diagnosis among children and adolescents compared to adults, along with other demographic characteristics, highlights the need to understand the underlying factors that could improve clinical awareness, documentation, and prevention strategies.