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.
Keywords
Frey's syndrome - gustatory sweating - auriculotemporal nerve - infant
