Mumps

Mumps

        Mumps is a viral disease which affects mostly children aged 4-5 years, especially in winter. This disease is caused by a paramyxovirus. The transmission of infection is through saliva. The risk of contagion is one week before and one week after the onset of symptoms. It fits preferentially in certain glands. It is like smallpox, a disease that could be totally eradicated.

Mumps examinations and mumps diagnosis.

        Mumps diagnosis consists in the detection of virus in cerebrospinal fluid (lumbar puncture), saliva or urine. Serology which is to look for antibodies in the blood, is simpler, more accessible and less expensive. It may be contributory in cases of doubt, but does not bring a definitive diagnosis.

Mumps disease

        The incubation period (between when the body is affected by the virus and the appearance of signs of illness) lasts about 3 weeks and the patient is contagious about 7 days before the onset of the disease and for another 7 days. The pacient recovers without complications in most cases. A person who caught the mumps is protected throughout its life against this virus. The patient has fever and his face distorted by parotitis: indeed the parotid glands are affected by the virus and they are swollen and the patient face is pear-shaped. Often these are the only signs that appear. Sometimes the disease goes completely unnoticed. Some children have never been in contact with the mumps virus or vaccinated, they are not immune and can then contract the disease when they are adolescents or adults.

        The danger of this disease exsits in a pubescent child, male or an adult: the risk of infertility is real. There is no treatment against mumps. It is useful to prescribe painkillers to fight against the pain and antipyretics for fever control. Mumps prevention is vaccination. It is strongly recommended to vaccinate young children against mumps at age 1 year, and 9 months for those who go to nursery group. This vaccine is often combined with vaccine against measles and rubella. This is the best way to prevent disease and thus eliminate the risk of infringement of the testicles in pubescent boys.

Mumps pictures

        Mumps, caused by the mumps virus primarily affects the parotid glands. After puberty, the testicles can be affected leading to a risk of infertility. Immunizing children is a way to avoid this.

Mumps symptoms

        Mumps in one third of cases shows no obvious symptoms. The disease usually begins with fever accompanied by very intense pain in the ear and general fatigue. After a day or two, the pain in the ear becomes more intense, there is often a swelling under the ear. This swelling is a sign of infection of the salivary gland, and it is known as parotitis (inflammation of the parotid). The infection often spreads to the other ear, creating difficulties in chewing, swallowing or diction in the patient. After three or four days, the infection tends to decrease. Fortunately in most cases, the evolution of mumps causes no problem. Among adolescents with mumps, the complication of the disease can lead to infection of the testicles with an increase in testicular volume. This complication can cause a risk of infertility especially if the infection is bilateral.

Mumps vaccine

        It is easy to avoid mumps with a mumps vaccine. Measles and rubella vaccine are also recommended in the vaccination program. It is generally administered to children of 12 months with a booster at 18 months.

Mumps and pregnancy

        There is a very small risk of miscarriage among infected women during pregnancy. Women who want a child who never had the disease or been vaccinated should consider getting vaccinated before becoming pregnant.

Mumps treatment

        From the first signs, it is advisable to consult a doctor so it can detect all types of anomalies which can cause complications (infertility to life by causing inflammation of the testicles) during the course of the disease. There is however no panacea against mumps. One can use drugs like analgesic or antipyretic, ice bags or water bottles (to be applied on the painful parts) and you can also rinse your mouth gargling with salt water, preferably hot. To heal quickly, the patient must stay in bed during his convalescence. It should also drink plenty of water. One should avoid giving aspirin to young children with mumps

        The MMR is a mumps vaccine administered to young children. Please vaccinate your child when he is aged 15 months. A recall could / should be done when he has between 3 to 6 years. The vaccine reduces the risk that your child catches the mumps as a child, but be careful, however, because they can also occur during adolescence. It is combined with vaccines against measles and rubella, and injected between 12 and 15 months, then between 5 and 6 years. However, 1 child in 10 may still have a reaction between the 8th and 10th days after injection such as localized redness, rash, fever.

Mumps complications

        In children between 2 and 12 years, mumps is usually a mild illness that resolves itself. The risk of hearing loss is 1 case per 20 000, and mortality 1 to 3 cases per 10 000. Symptomatic mumps meningitis, with headache and stiff neck, was detected in 15% of cases wcich resolve spontaneously but often without serious consequences. Sometimes the virus causes swelling of the testicles which is not serious in children but can be serious in men and adolescents. The condition which is very painful, affects 20 to 50% of males who contract mumps after puberty and can lead to infertility.