Final answer:
Mucocele is a condition involving trauma to a minor salivary gland leading to blockage of its ducts. This can be caused by various factors including immune system disorders or infections like mumps. The major salivary glands secrete saliva through ducts such as the submandibular and sublingual ducts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term you're looking for is probably mucocele, which is trauma to a minor salivary gland. When the ducts of these glands get blocked, mucous accumulates, leading to a swelling or cyst. Problems within salivary glands can be due to various causes, including the immune system attacking its own proteins within the glands or due to infections like mumps which primarily affects the parotid glands. In normal conditions, salivary glands, which include the major ones like the parotid, the submandibular, and the sublingual glands, secrete saliva into the mouth through the ducts to aid in digestion and protect oral health.
Potential Causes:
- a. The immune system is producing antibodies against their own proteins present in their salivary glands, causing the salivary glands to break down and become non-functional.
- b. The immune system's ability to fight the antigen present in the salivary glands might be compromised.
- c. The immune system may react abnormally to an antigen that entered the salivary glands.
- d. A pathogen, such as the mumps virus (MuV), might cause an infection leading to salivary gland dysfunction.