Inflammatory conditions of the salivary glands: Sjøgren’s disease, IgG4-related disease, and sarcoidosis

• Systemic inflammatory conditions may affect the salivary glands.• The clinical presentation of inflammatory diseases of the salivary glands is often non-specific and clinical suspicion is required for diagnosis, especially when present in isolation. Symptoms can include dry mouth, salivary gland swelling, and pain localizing to the salivary gland. • Sjøgren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized by sicca syndrome and lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands.• IgG₄-related disease is a recently defined entity resulting in salivary gland swelling and dysfunction. • Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease chiefly presenting with cough and dyspnea, which rarely affects the salivary glands. • Management of systemic inflammatory conditions is primarily medical, under the direction of medical specialists (rheumatology, pulmonary, etc); however, surgery may play a role in both diagnosis and management of these conditions or their complications.