ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Mumps

What is Mumps?

21:55 - 4 May , 2021

Disease

Mumps or parotitis is a highly contagious disease caused by the virus called paramyxovirus that affects the parotid glands, which are the salivary glands located near the ears, causing them to become inflamed and painful.

The most common way to get the infection is by inhaling or having contact with fluid droplets thrown into the air by coughing, sneezing, or talking, which can fall on an object or surface, where it is possible to touch them and get infected when rubbing your eyes, nose, or mouth as the virus remains active for several hours.

Mumps is a disease that can worsen, especially in children under five years old who have not been vaccinated. As the use of the vaccine has spread worldwide, the number of infections and deaths has decreased, but it is a disease that is still active, so it is necessary to continue promoting responsible vaccination against this virus.

Signs and symptoms Mumps

The characteristic symptoms begin to show from the end of the virus incubation period, which is between 12 and 20 days after infection:

  • Tiredness and weakness.
  • Swallowing problems.
  • Headache.
  • Earache.
  • Pain in the parotid glands.
  • Muscle pain.
  • Lack of appetite.
  • High fever.

Sometimes there is no inflammation of the parotid glands, but if you or your child experience other symptoms, you should go to your doctor to be diagnosed and treated promptly, avoiding possible complications that are a greater risk to your health.

Potential risks:

Mumps can trigger several serious complications, such as:

  • Pancreatitis.
  • Deafness.
  • Abortion.
  • Orchitis (testicular inflammation).
  • Encephalitis.
  • Meningitis.
  • Heart conditions.

Diagnosis and treatment Mumps

Once your doctor analyzes your symptoms and clinical history, they will perform a physical examination to confirm or rule out the diagnosis, which may require a blood test.

As it is a viral condition, there is no cure or specific therapy, but it is usually treated with painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics if an additional bacterial infection has developed.

Also, apply hot or cold compresses to the neck area, drink plenty of fluids, eat soft foods, and gargle with warm saltwater.

In children, it is essential to apply the triple viral vaccine that includes protection against mumps, measles, and rubella in the indicated scheme:

  • First dose: at one year of age.
  • Second dose: at the age of four or five.

If you have been exposed to the virus and still do not develop symptoms, it is advisable to apply the vaccine, which does not guarantee that you will not acquire the disease, but it does help to make it milder and of shorter duration.

The vaccine is not indicated in pregnant women, and women of childbearing age should avoid becoming pregnant for at least 30 days after vaccination.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments

Internal medicine
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • chemocare.com
  • topdoctors.es
  • mayoclinic.org
  • stanfordchildrens.org
  • healthychildren.org
  • medigraphic.com
  • García-Callejo FJ, Balaguer-García R, Juantegui-Azpilicueta M. Paperas en Otorrinolaringología: herramientas diagnósticas para una historia interminable de brotes y reapariciones. Otorrinolaringología. 2021;66(3):182-191.
  • Salmón-Mulanovich G, Utz G, Lescano AG, et al. Respuesta rápida a un caso de paperas: implicaciones para la prevención del contagio en una instalación de investigación biomédica. Salud Publica Mex. 2009;51(1):34-38.
  • Rodríguez-Corbo AA, Fundora-Moreno DA, Corbo-Rodríguez MT. Comportamiento de la parotiditis recurrente en pacientes pediátricos. Universidad Médica Pinareña. 2020;16(2):1-7.
  • Díaz ÁM, Acosta BB, Céspedes BO, et al. Parotiditis supurada aguda neonatal en países de Iberoamérica. Rev Cubana Pediatr. 2017;89(4):1-11.

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    The dissemination of the content of this material is for informational purposes only and does not replace, under any circumstance or condition, a consultation with a specialist doctor, for which the ABC Medical Center is not responsible for the different use that may be given to it. If you require more information related to the subject, we suggest you contact the specialist doctor you trust directly.