A Case Report of Early-Onset Frey's Syndrome in an Infant

Abstract

The appearance of flushing in the territory of the auriculotemporal nerve after ingestion of foods with a sweet, salty, or sour flavor could suggest Frey's syndrome, especially if the infant has a history of obstetric trauma. This rare and benign condition requires no diagnostic exploration or treatment. A 3-month-old male infant presented with facial flushing since he was 6 weeks' old. Episodes of flushing were stereotypical, over the zone innervated by the left auriculotemporal nerve. They started 10 to 15 seconds after the beginning of the feeding and disappeared after 15 to 20 minutes. At the time of the onset of facial erythema, the infant was exclusively bottle feeding. Diagnosis of Frey's syndrome was made on historical and clinical grounds, and no further testing was needed. Flushing gradually started to fade at the age of 5 months and completely disappeared after 8 months. Introducing solid food did not cause any deterioration of facial erythema. Early recognition of Frey's syndrome is important to avoid unnecessary investigation and therapy. On the other hand, our reported case warns that Frey's syndrome may occur in very early infancy without ingestion of solid food.