How can you get mumps? How is this disease diagnosed? What is mumps

Due to the swelling in the area of ​​the ears and neck of the face, which resembles the head of a pig, this disease has received the apt name among the people - mumps. Official medicine calls him mumps, from the Latin words “par” - “near, about” and “otis” - “ear”. The ending "-it" indicates inflammatory nature diseases. From the name we can conclude that mumps is an inflammation of the parotid salivary glands. What kind of disease is this and why do pediatricians especially warn those mothers whose child is a boy?

Mumps is considered a childhood disease, although adults who were not ill in childhood can become infected with it.

This is the similarity between mumps and rubella or chicken pox, measles and many diseases, as a result of which persistent lifelong immunity occurs in those who have suffered them in childhood. An infected adult usually experiences such diseases much more severely than a child and has a greater chance of developing complications.

How can you get infected with mumps?

The causative agent of mumps is paramyxovirus. It is not resistant to external influences and quickly dies from ultraviolet radiation and disinfectant chemicals when heated. Therefore, the main route of infection is airborne droplets or contact through saliva and objects contaminated with it (dishes, toys, etc.). This explains why mumps is transmitted so quickly in children's groups (kindergartens, etc.). But this also serves as a risk factor for those who have not yet had mumps: you can get infected anywhere if there is a carrier of the virus nearby.

Increases the possibility of infection with the virus and its contagiousness from 1-2 days after infection and before the first symptoms of mumps appear, that is, externally healthy man or the child may already be dangerous to others. The greatest contagiousness of the virus is observed 3-5 days after it becomes noticeable severe symptoms diseases. A person who has recovered remains dangerous until 10-11 days from the onset of the acute stage of the disease.

Due to the virus’s resistance to cold, maximum incidence rates are observed in early spring, and the risk of infection decreases significantly by autumn. After infection, viruses enter the bloodstream into different places body, accumulating and multiplying in glandular tissues different organs(salivary, pancreas, sex glands). Sometimes (most often in children) mumps, the symptoms of which are usually very noticeable externally, does not manifest itself at all. In this case, the patient is able to infect big number people in contact with him and, without receiving adequate treatment, earn severe complications mumps (deafness, infertility, etc.)

Symptoms and treatment of mumps

The incubation period (time from infection with the virus until signs of illness appear) is 11-23 days. Sometimes on the eve of the disease the following occur:

1. Chills.
2. Muscular and joint pain.
3. Headache.
4. Feeling of dry mouth and discomfort near the ears, under the lower jaw.
5. Lack of saliva leads to dyspepsia and stomatitis.
6. 1. At the onset of the disease, mumps is manifested by an increase in temperature to 38.5 ° C or higher, fever, headache and insomnia. Important diagnostic sign Even before mumps manifests itself in the form of pronounced symptoms, there may be pain when pressing on the area behind the earlobes.
7. 2. Inflammatory phenomena in the parotid salivary glands lead to their swelling and severe pain. At the same time, sometimes the patient is deprived of the opportunity to chew, and the pressure of the tumor on eustachian tubes leads to tinnitus. This description makes it possible to understand what mumps looks like: a swollen face with the tumor predominantly localized in the area lower jaw and neck. With unilateral mumps, the tumor is asymmetrical and the face is skewed. The pain radiates to the ears or neck.
8. 3. After a few days, usually 3-4 days, the pain in the affected glands subsides, completely disappearing by 7-8 days. The swelling of the face in the projections of the glands also disappears.

The differences in symptoms for children and adults are minor:

1. In children, a sharp development of the disease is more typical, without a preceding period. More often affected parotid glands, the temperature rise may be insignificant.
2. In adults, a prodromal period with severe symptoms is more common. Not only the parotid glands are affected, but also the submandibular glands.

How to treat mumps?

Mumps that occurs in an uncomplicated form can be treated at home. Patients are usually hospitalized if concomitant illness, the treatment of which requires hospital conditions ( acute pancreatitis, meningitis) or mumps is severe.

Among therapeutic measures are appointed:

1. Bed rest for the entire period of pronounced symptoms - 10-11 days.
2. A dairy-vegetable diet is recommended to prevent the development of inflammation of the pancreas and eating pureed food to make chewing easier.
3. Warm drinks in large quantities (weak tea, fruit juice).
4. Drug therapy involves symptomatic treatment, prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, paracetamol, etc.), antihistamines and multivitamins.
5. IN severe cases In case of intoxication of the body, detoxification treatment is carried out in a hospital setting.

The main tasks that the treatment of a disease such as mumps solves is the prevention of complications in the form of inflammation of the gonads, pancreatitis and inflammation of the central nervous system.

In cases where the symptoms were not sufficiently pronounced and the treatment was carried out with violations or the person suffered from this disease “on his feet,” mumps can lead to serious complications in the form serious illnesses various glands and central nervous system lesions:

1. In children, mumps often develops into serous meningitis. This disease has an acute onset, high readings temperature, fever, severe headaches and vomiting that occur after severe symptoms of the underlying illness appear. In some cases, a complication towards the central nervous system manifests itself in the form of encephalomyelitis or meningoencephalitis with disturbances of consciousness, drowsiness and paresis of the facial nerve.
2. Among the complications, especially dangerous for men's health, we can note the characteristic forms moderate severity and severe diseases such as orchitis (inflammation of the testicles).

Orchitis in severe and moderate forms in approximately 50% of cases. Symptoms appear 5-7 days from the onset of the disease and are initially expressed by a sharp rise in temperature to 39-40 ° C, the appearance of sharp pain in the scrotum and its spread to the lower abdomen. The testicle becomes inflamed and reaches the size of a goose egg. This state lasts 3-8 days, after which inflammatory phenomena begin to decline, but in half of the cases, those who have suffered such a complication develop organ atrophy (within 1-2 months).

1. On days 4-7, mumps may appear sharp pains in the stomach area, nausea and vomiting. This is how a complication of the pancreas manifests itself - pancreatitis.
2. In case of complications on the ears, complete deafness or hearing loss from the inflamed gland may develop due to the effect of the virus on auditory nerve. Hearing usually does not recover after recovery.
3. Sometimes, in 0.5% of cases, they may be affected by the virus large joints. Pain and swelling of the joint occurs, and a serous effusion appears inside them. Arthritic phenomena last from 1-2 weeks to 3 months.

Prevention of mumps

Mumps is distributed throughout the world. Disease prevention measures currently include double vaccination with associated MMR vaccine at the age of 1 year and 6 years. In this case, immunity is acquired for life, as after mumps.

If there is a sick person in the house, and the presence of immunity in some family members is in doubt, then disease prevention comes down to the patient observing personal hygiene, providing him with separate dishes, linen, towels, etc., which are treated with boiling or disinfectants. At the same time, contact of the patient with a person who has not been ill or has not been vaccinated is unacceptable.

Mumps, also called "mumps" or "mumps" is an acute viral disease caused by paramyxovirus. It must be emphasized that a person becomes contagious 1-2 days before the first signs of mumps appear and during the first 5 days of the disease.

How can you get infected with mumps?

Transmission of the viral microbe occurs by airborne droplets, although it is also possible household way infection. People have a fairly high susceptibility to mumps; in most cases, children get sick, with boys one and a half times more likely than girls. If a boy had mumps, it is necessary to contact a urologist, who will check whether this disease has affected the condition of the patient’s genital organs.

It is known that the incubation stage of the disease lasts from 11 to 23 days (usually 15-19 days). It often happens that unhealthy people 1-2 days before occurrence usual signs mumps, chills, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and dry mouth are observed.

Do adults get mumps?

Adults with weakened immune systems can get mumps. Moreover, the prodromal stage is much stronger and more painful for them.

In most cases, mumps occurs with a sharp and acute increase in body temperature, chills, migraines, and helplessness. The highest temperature lasts less than one week, and often almost the entire period of illness. Although there are cases when the disease goes away without fever. The main symptom of mumps is inflammation of the parotid salivary glands; sometimes the submandibular and sublingual glands also become inflamed.

What are the signs of mumps

In this case, swelling is observed, which causes pain. It was noted that with a profuse tumor of the parotid salivary gland, the patient’s face usually becomes pear-shaped, and the earlobe on the affected side is often raised.

Usually, after 1-2 days, the inflammatory process just captures the gland with reverse side, although from time to time the defeat happens one-sided. Should be paid Special attention that very often patients complain of pain in the parotid region, which increases at night.

From time to time, patients experience pain and rumbling in the ears. The person is unable to chew food. It can be noted that such pain remains for 3-4 days, and after a week it goes away evenly. Approximately during this time or a little later, the swelling in the projection of the salivary glands subsides, although in some cases the swelling still persists for 2 weeks or more. But this phenomenon is more often observed in adults with mumps.

How to treat mumps

Most often, mumps treatment is carried out at home with bed rest, until obvious signs of the disease completely disappear. Typically this period is no less than seven days.

Also during illness it is necessary to adhere to a diet. It is necessary to exclude spicy, salty, fatty, and fried foods from the patient’s diet. Drug treatment occurs as prescribed by the doctor, according to the symptoms experienced by the patient. There are rarely cases of hospitalization of the patient.

How many times do people get mumps?

In most cases, mumps occurs only once. After contracting mumps, immunity to this disease occurs. However, in medical practice There have been rare cases of recurrent mumps.

People are very susceptible to the virus that causes mumps. The disease is characterized by pronounced seasonality - the peak occurs in March-April. Medical name mumps sounds like mumps. After recovery, a person acquires lifelong immunity to this disease.

General information about mumps

Mumps is an acute viral disease caused by paramyxovirus. The carrier of the pathology is only a sick person, and you can become infected from him 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms. Mumps is typical for children, and mumps is 1.5 times more common in boys than in girls. The disease occurs mainly between the ages of 5 and 15.

Due to environmental deterioration, mumps disease has begun to occur in adult women and men almost as often as in children. Paramyxovirus penetrates the body, affects the tonsils, upper respiratory tract, and then spreads to salivary glands. The main routes of infection with mumps:

• Airborne. This Main way transmission of the virus when infection occurs in close proximity to a sick person.
• Contact and household. Dishes, toys and other personal belongings of the patient can also be a source of paramyxovirus.

Symptoms

The incubation period of the disease is 10-25 days, more often – 2 weeks. During this time, mumps symptoms do not appear. First, the virus accumulates in the mucous membranes and then penetrates the blood. In adults, 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms, headache, aching muscles and joints, dry mouth, weakness, and chills may appear. For children, such a prodromal syndrome is less typical. Other symptoms of mumps:

• swelling in the projection of the parotid salivary glands;
• pain in the parotid region, worsening at night;
• increased salivation;
• decreased appetite;
• temperature rise up to 40 degrees;
• malaise;
• pain when opening the mouth, swallowing food, chewing;
• dry mouth.

Consequences of the disease

Mumps is especially harmful to children. Some consequences may lead to fatal outcome. Possible complications diseases:

• pancreatitis ( acute inflammation pancreas);
• meningoencephalitis;
• acute form serous meningitis;
• disruption of the central nervous system;
• lesions of the middle ear leading to complete deafness.

Dangers for boys and men

Special group boys are at risk. How older child, those more likely development of complications including infertility.

Features of the course of the disease in boys:

• In 20% of cases, the virus spreads to the genitals, destroys and affects the spermatogenic epithelium of the testicles.
• The scrotum becomes inflamed and there is unbearable pain.
• Swelling and severe redness soon spread to the second testicle. Atrophy, dysfunction, and then infertility that cannot be treated develop.

Mumps poses the greatest danger to adolescents during puberty. If mumps is not accompanied by orchitis (inflammation of the testicle), then infertility will not occur. According to statistics, about 50% of men who have had mumps bilateral inflammation testicles become sterile in the future. It is possible to predict whether a boy will be infertile only when he reaches puberty. Orchitis occurs on days 5-8 and is often the only sign of mumps in the stronger sex.

Treatment

Mumps disease in adults and children does not have a specific treatment regimen. Medicine cannot offer options for getting rid of the disease. Doctors only create conditions for a favorable recovery. Main methods of treatment:

• Maintaining bed rest. From the first day, both adults and children should lie down. If bed rest is not followed, complications may occur. The duration of its observance is at least 10 days.
• Diet correction. Fats, white bread, pasta, fried foods, marinades, and spicy dishes are excluded from the menu. Foods should be consumed in puree form to make it easier to swallow. The diet should be enriched with vitamins.
• Use of compresses. They are applied to the parotid area. A warm scarf is used for bandaging.
• Gargling. For the procedure, use a weak soda solution– 1 tsp. soda for 1 tbsp. warm water.

An infectious disease, which is popularly called mumps, is mumps. As a rule, mumps is accompanied by general intoxication of the body, fever, enlargement of the salivary glands, which is why the face of a sick person acquires a characteristic appearance. This pathology refers to common childhood diseases, since the mumps virus mainly affects children 5–15 years old. However, today many people have significantly reduced immunity, so mumps has become common among adults. Moreover, for doctors, treating mumps in adults is more difficult task. In older people, the disease is sometimes very severe, causing complications and requiring hospitalization of the sick person.

Development of the disease and symptoms

Mumps spreads by airborne droplets. The causative agent of the disease is the so-called paramyxovirus, which is unstable to high temperatures, ultraviolet radiation and other influences external environment. The mumps virus first penetrates the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx, multiplies and enters tissues through the blood (hematogenously). internal organs. In adults, the virus mainly affects soft tissues. meninges, salivary glands, pancreas, mammary glands and ovaries in women, testicles in men.

Duration incubation period pigs: from 2 weeks to one month. The main symptom of mumps in adults is swelling and tenderness in the parotid region of the salivary glands. At the same time, the earlobe rises and protrudes Auricle, salivation occurs. Body temperature rises to 39 – 40° and usually lasts for several days. A week after the onset of the disease, the temperature begins to decrease and the swelling of the neck subsides. Around the tenth day clinical manifestations The pigs disappear completely.

Features of treatment

Treatment of mumps in adults depends on the severity of the inflammatory process, the depth of penetration of the paramyxovirus and the area of ​​its localization, the condition immune system sick person. If the disease proceeds without complications, you can cope with mumps at home. In severe cases, the patient is sent to the hospital. Special medicines There are no drugs that can cope with the mumps virus. Therefore, the main treatment strategy is symptomatic therapy.

Diet

First of all, patients are prescribed strict bed rest, as well as dairy-vegetable dietary food to avoid the development of pancreatitis. Pickles, marinades, spicy, fatty, fried food, limit the consumption of pasta, white bread. To make the chewing process easier, it is recommended to grind food beforehand. It is important to increase drinking regime. Plenty of weak tea, rosehip decoction, and fruit and berry juices are encouraged. Be sure to rinse after every meal oral cavity warm solution baking soda, or chamomile.

Symptomatic treatment

As drug treatment use antihistamines, for example, Suprastin or, as well as anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs: Panadol, Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Paracetamol. To strengthen the immune system, vitamin and mineral complexes such as Complivit and Biomax are prescribed. It is recommended to apply alcohol or alcohol to the inflamed glands, but heating the swollen area with a heating pad is prohibited. Physiotherapeutic procedures also help well: ultraviolet irradiation, UHF therapy.

Complications

As already noted, mumps can cause severe complications in adults. These include meningitis, encephalomyelitis, meningoencephalitis. But perhaps the most dangerous consequence mumps is inflammation of the testicle in men - orchitis. This pathology can lead to incurable infertility. In case of orchitis development, as well as meningitis, a weekly course of corticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, is prescribed.

Considering serious complications which mumps can cause, self-treatment mumps in adults is not allowed. Only a doctor can control the course of this disease and prevent negative manifestations. And the only one for real effective method Mumps prevention is vaccination. Be healthy!

A disease such as mumps can be dangerous for children. It often occurs without noticeable symptoms, but can cause serious complications. Protecting a child from contracting this infection is not easy, since in a group of children it is not always possible to distinguish a sick child from a healthy one. Manifestations usually occur only a few days after the disease has already begun and the person has become infectious to others. Parents should know what serious consequences may appear as a result of mumps, and also understand the importance of vaccination against it.

The causative agent is a virus of the paramyxovirus family (measles and parainfluenza viruses belong to the same family). The mumps pathogen develops only in human body, in its various glands. It primarily affects the salivary glands (parotid and submandibular). But it can also multiply in all other glands of the body (genital, pancreas, thyroid).

Most often, mumps occurs between the ages of 3 and 7 years, but teenagers under 15 years of age can also get sick. Newborns do not get mumps, since their blood contains very high levels of antigens to this virus. A person who has recovered from the disease develops lifelong, strong immunity, so they do not get mumps again.

It has been observed that mumps occurs more often in boys than in girls. Moreover, damage to the testes in adolescents leads to subsequent infertility. However, damage to the gonads occurs only in 20% of cases with a complicated form of mumps.

Types and forms of the disease

The severity of mumps depends on the number of viruses that have entered the body, their activity, as well as age and physical fitness child, the state of his immune system.

There are 2 types of disease:

• manifest (manifested by symptoms of varying severity);
• inapparent (mumps that is asymptomatic).

Manifest mumps

It is divided into uncomplicated (one or more salivary glands are affected, other organs are not affected) and complicated (the virus spreads to other organs). The complicated form of mumps is very dangerous because inflammatory processes affect vital important organs: brain, kidneys, reproductive and mammary glands, heart, joints, nervous system. With this form, mumps can cause meningitis, nephritis, mastitis, arthritis, myocarditis, orchitis, pancreatitis. Extremely in rare cases deafness sets in.

This type of mumps occurs in mild form, as well as with manifestations of moderate and severe forms.

Lightweight(atypical, with erased symptoms) form of mumps. A minor discomfort occurs, which quickly disappears without leading to any consequences.

Moderate the disease manifests itself with clearly expressed signs of damage to the salivary glands and general intoxication body with substances released by the virus.

Heavy form. Sharply expressed characteristic features damage to the salivary glands, complications arise.

Inapparent parotitis

The peculiarity of this disease is complete absence symptoms in a sick child. In this case, suspect the presence in his body dangerous infection difficult. The insidious thing is that the baby is a spreader of a dangerous infection, although he himself feels as usual.

Causes of mumps in children

The mumps virus is only spread through respiratory droplets when a sick person coughs or sneezes. So the likelihood of the virus getting into the surrounding air increases if the child has a cold.

The incubation period ranges from 12 to 21 days. About a week before the onset of symptoms, the patient becomes infectious to others and continues to remain so until full recovery, which is diagnosed based on test results.

The virus, along with the air, enters the mucous membrane of the nose and upper respiratory tract, from where it spreads further - to the salivary and other glands of the body. Most often, the disease manifests itself as inflammation and enlargement of the salivary glands.

The disease is promoted by decreased immunity in the child due to frequent colds, poor nutrition, backlog in physical development. Unvaccinated children are very susceptible to the virus. In children's institutions, outbreaks of mumps may occur if they are attended by children in whom the disease occurs in a latent form. If the disease appears in several children at the same time, the institution is closed for 3 weeks of quarantine. The mumps virus dies in 4-6 days at a temperature of 20°. It is not resistant to action ultraviolet rays and disinfectants (Lysol, formaldehyde, bleach).

Outbreaks of the disease are especially possible in the autumn-winter period.

Signs of mumps

The disease occurs in several stages.

Incubation period(duration 12-21 days). The following processes occur:

• viruses penetrate the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract;
• enter the blood;
• spread throughout the body, accumulate in glandular tissue;
• again come out into the blood. At this time, they can already be detected by laboratory diagnostic methods.

Period of clinical manifestations. In the normal course of the disease, signs of intoxication of the body and inflammation of the glands in the jaws and ears appear. This period lasts 3-4 days, if no complications arise.

Recovery. At this time, the child's symptoms of mumps gradually disappear. This period lasts up to 7 days. Until about 9 days after the onset of symptoms, the baby can infect others.

First signs

The first signs of illness appear in children a day before the appearance of facial swelling. These include lack of appetite, weakness, chills, fever up to 38°-39°, body aches, headache. All these are consequences of poisoning the body with waste products of microorganisms.

The child always wants to sleep, but cannot fall asleep. Little children are capricious. The patient's pulse may increase, decrease blood pressure. In severe forms of the disease, the temperature can reach 40°.

Main manifestations

Children experience pain in the earlobes and swollen tonsils. It is difficult to swallow, chew, talk, pain radiates to the ears. Increased salivation may occur.

The salivary glands most often swell on both sides, although a unilateral form of the disease is also possible. Not only the parotid glands swell, but also the sublingual and submandibular salivary glands. Therefore, inflammation of the salivary glands leads to severe swelling of the cheeks, parotid area and neck.

The skin over the swelling near the ears turns red and begins to become shiny. An increase in swelling is observed for 3 days, after which the reverse process of a gradual slow decrease in tumor size occurs. In adults and adolescents, the swelling may not subside within 2 weeks; in young children it decreases much faster. The older the child, the more severely he suffers from the disease.

Features of the development of mumps in boys and girls

When mumps occurs in boys, in approximately 20% of cases viral infection testicular epithelium (orchitis). If this occurs during puberty, the consequence of a complicated disease can be infertility.

Signs of this condition are alternate swelling and redness of the testicles, pain in them, and increased temperature. Inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis) may also occur, resulting in pain in the groin area and frequent painful urination.

In girls, a complication of mumps can be inflammation of the ovaries (oophoritis). At the same time, nausea and abdominal pain occur, and teenage girls develop heavy yellow discharge, delayed sexual development may occur.

Signs of damage to the nervous system

In rare cases, the virus affects not only glandular tissues, but also the central nervous system. This leads to meningitis (inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord). This is a disease that can be life-threatening for children. Its manifestations are very characteristic (tension of the muscles of the back and neck, which forces the child to take a special position), vomiting that does not bring relief, high fever.

Warning: A sign of complications is sharp increase temperature after a noticeable improvement in the patient’s condition, when the temperature had already dropped to normal. Even if a child with mumps feels quite well, he should be under the supervision of a doctor until complete recovery.

Video: Signs and symptoms of mumps, consequences of the disease

Diagnosis of mumps disease

As a rule, the characteristic course of the disease makes it possible to establish a diagnosis even without additional examination.

In addition to mumps, there are other causes of enlargement of the salivary glands, in which similar manifestations occur. This can happen due to the penetration of bacteria (streptococci, staphylococci), dehydration of the body, dental diseases, HIV infection.

However, in these cases, the appearance of swelling of the cheeks is preceded by some other characteristic manifestations(for example, teeth hurt, there is an injury, after which bacteria could be introduced into the salivary glands).

In order to finally verify the presence of a contagious infection, it is necessary to carry out laboratory diagnostics: blood test for antibodies to mumps virus, microscopic examination saliva and pharyngeal swabs. If damage to the nervous system is suspected, a spinal cord puncture is performed.

Treatment for mumps

As a rule, treatment is carried out at home. Children are hospitalized only if complications arise.

With an uncomplicated course of the disease, no special drugs They don’t give it to children. All that is being done is to alleviate their condition. It is necessary to gargle frequently with a soda solution (1 teaspoon per 1 glass of warm water). If the baby does not know how to gargle, then he is given warm chamomile tea to drink.

Wrap a warm scarf around the neck and apply a warm compress ( gauze pad moistened with slightly warmed vegetable oil and place it on the sore spot). This will help reduce pain. Antipyretic and painkillers are prescribed.

Physiotherapeutic warming using methods such as UHF irradiation and diathermy helps relieve inflammation of the salivary glands. Sick children should remain in bed. It is advisable to feed them semi-liquid or soft food.

Video: Signs of mumps in children, patient care

Prevention

The only one effective measure Prevention of mumps is vaccination. The vaccination is done 2 times, since immunity after it lasts 5-6 years. The first vaccination is given at 1 year of age (together with measles and rubella), and the second at 6 years of age.

Children who have been vaccinated against mumps are completely protected from this disease and its dangerous complications. The vaccine is completely safe, including for allergy sufferers.

If there is a sick child in the house, then antiviral drugs may be prescribed to other children and adults for prevention purposes.

Video: Consequences of mumps, the importance of vaccination