After inflammation of the mumps, children will have a child. Mumps in children: causes, treatment and methods of prevention. Inpatient treatment of mumps

The disease mumps is popularly known as mumps. This disease is viral in nature. Characteristic signs of the disease are inflammation of the glands, fever, and intoxication of the body. Inflammation of the genital, salivary and parotid glands occurs. Mumps is only a childhood disease. But adults can also get mumps.

Mumps is a viral respiratory infection; it can be epidemiological in nature because it is transmitted by airborne droplets. The age of children who are susceptible to the disease ranges from 5 to 8 years. Children under 3 years of age rarely suffer from this disease. The risk of contracting mumps extends to children under 16 years of age.

Adults suffer from mumps much less frequently. The disease does not pose any danger to life. But treatment should be given special attention. The pathology of the disease, especially in boys, can lead to serious complications. Currently, this disease is not a common disease, because children are vaccinated against mumps without fail.

Mumps in children

Mumps disease in children is infectious. The main reason why the disease develops is the virus that ends up in the body. The disease is caused by a virus of the paramyxovirus family. The virus is unstable in the external environment. When it enters the human body, it primarily affects the cells of parenchymal organs. If a child suffers from mumps, then he first of all experiences inflammation of the salivary glands. The disease can also affect the gonads and pancreas. It is not uncommon for the nervous system to become infected.

How does mumps become infected?

The disease is transmitted through the air. When a baby is sick, a virus is released when he sneezes. It enters the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract of healthy children, and their functional epithelial cells become infected. The virus begins to infect healthy cells of the child’s body. At the same time, active reproduction of the viral infection occurs. Then the virus ends up in the blood, and thus spreads throughout the body. Those organs that are sensitive to this disease are susceptible to the disease. Very often, mumps affects the parotid glands.

Risk factors

The disease occurs due to factors that increase the risk of infection. Mumps disease in children occurs for the following reasons:

If the sanitary regime is not followed at home, then mumps will definitely appear in children. Mumps is a childhood disease. Therefore, parents of preschool children should be especially careful about the symptoms of mumps in children.

Mumps in children symptoms and treatment

Once the virus is in the child’s body, the disease resembles a common cold. The baby develops the following symptoms:

1. Chills.
2. Joint pain.
3. Fever.
4. Painful sensations in the muscles.

After these symptoms, after a few days, inflammatory processes occurring in the salivary glands begin to appear.

Main signs of the disease

The disease can be identified by the following symptoms:

When the disease occurs, swelling does not allow you to fully turn your neck in different directions. Because of this, the baby's head is tilted in the direction where the swelling is observed. If a child has bilateral damage to the glands, then the head is pulled into the shoulders.

In addition to the above signs of the disease, the patient has a painful condition, which consists of the following:

1. Headache.
2. Insomnia.
3. Dry mouth.
4. General weakness.
5. Chills.
6. Impaired appetite.

Pathology and its varieties

The disease comes in two forms. The first form is the typical one. When the disease occurs, the patient experiences characteristic symptoms. The form of the disease is as follows:

The second form of the disease is atypical. With this form, the symptoms are subtle. In medicine, there have been cases where mumps was asymptomatic. Based on severity, the disease is divided into three types:

1. Mild form of the disease. A child’s fever does not last long. The virus only affects the salivary glands.
2. Moderate form of the disease. The child has a prolonged fever. The disease affects not only the salivary glands, but also other organs. The child notices a decrease in appetite and sleep disturbances. He feels weak.
3. Severe form of the disease. With this type of mumps, there is rapid disease of several glands. The disease can affect the nervous system. Often, in severe cases of the disease, meningitis is added to the mumps disease. If a child has suffered from severe mumps, he may develop pancreatitis or deafness.

Complications of the disease

In almost all cases, the mumps disease is harmless. In rare cases, complications occur. The most serious complication is orchitis, which affects the testicles. This complication is the most serious. The virus usually affects the testicles during adolescence. This complication is observed in those children who were not vaccinated in a timely manner.

If the mumps disease is severe and the virus affects both testicles, then the man may subsequently be infertile. A complication of mumps is pancreatitis. A virus that enters a child’s body can infect the pancreas. Structural changes are taking place in it. Another complication is diabetes mellitus. The child may develop type 1 diabetes.

Treatment of mumps in children

An infectious disease specialist treats the disease. If a child is diagnosed with mumps, the following doctors are involved in the treatment of the disease:

1. Neuropathologist.
2. Endocrinologist.
3. Rheumatologist.

To date, there is no treatment that effectively fights the mumps virus. When suffering from mumps, emphasis is placed on symphonic therapy. Treatment is aimed at reducing pain in the patient and protecting the baby from the development of complications. The treatment process occurs in 3 directions. A child needs proper care. You need to follow a diet. The child should receive drug therapy.

Features of care

At the first signs of inflammation of the glands, the child should be protected from other children. If you get sick, you must follow the recommendations of doctors. The child must be kept in bed. The baby must remain in bed for at least 10 days. Bed rest is extended if acute symptoms are not removed. During a child’s illness, physical and emotional stress should be excluded.

When you have mumps, hypothermia is very dangerous. The house needs frequent ventilation. This is necessary to ensure that viruses do not accumulate in the room. Other family members must wear masks. This is to prevent the spread of the virus. When in contact with a child, wash your hands frequently. A separate towel and dishes should be used for the child.

Drug treatment of the disease

Doctors do not have exact recommendations on how to cure this disease. Symphonic medications are used in treatment. For each individual patient, the medicine is selected individually. It is strictly forbidden to fight the disease on your own, because serious complications may arise.

Do not apply hot compresses to the affected area. Because of this, the inflammatory process may worsen and treatment will be more complicated. For mumps, a group of NSAID medications is used. This includes the following medications:

These medications fight high fever and eliminate inflammation. The group of corticosteroids includes the following drugs:

1. Prednisone.
2. Methylprednisolone.
3. Dexamethasone.

These medications are aimed at eliminating the anti-inflammatory process. But at the same time, they have a bad effect on the immune system. Desensitizing agents include:

1. Suprastin.
2. Tavegil.
3. Erius.

These medications are aimed at reducing inflammation. For mumps, analgesics are indicated. This group includes:

1. Baralgin.
2. Pentalgin.
3. Analgin.

Medicines relieve pain in the patient. For mumps, enzymatic medications are prescribed. These include:

1. Festal.
2. Pancreatin.
3. Mezim.

The tablets are aimed at improving digestion and stimulating food absorption. Treatment is prescribed individually, so the treating doctor may prescribe other groups of medications. Drugs are prescribed depending on which system is affected.

Preventive measures

The most effective prevention is vaccination. Doctors now use several types of vaccines. But their work occurs according to a complex mechanism. When vaccinated, the child’s body begins to recognize incoming antigens. Thus, antibodies against the mumps virus begin to be produced.

If you get such a vaccination, the protection will be present in the baby’s body throughout his life. For mumps, combined vaccines are used that are directed against rubella, mumps and measles. A child is vaccinated twice in his entire life. The first vaccine is given at 1 year of age and then at 6 years of age.

Bottom line

Many parents are concerned about the question: after contracting mumps, can a boy have children? Very often the disease is mild. This happens after vaccination. In this case, the disease does not have any effect on reproductive function. But in rare cases, complications in the form of infertility occur. This complication is observed in boys who were not vaccinated in childhood.

The disease mumps refers to an infection that affects the salivary glands. The first symptoms of the disease resemble a cold, which manifests itself in the parotid area. The patient develops swelling. If a child has symptoms of mumps, it is imperative to seek help from a doctor. Treatment is prescribed on an individual basis. Mumps is treated with sympathetic medications. Mumps often occurs in children aged 5 to 8 years. Therefore, during this period, special attention should be paid to the child for the presence of mumps symptoms.

Mumps is one of those childhood diseases for which the child definitely needs help. And the point is not that the disease itself is dangerous. Its complications pose the greatest threat. We will talk about how and why mumps develops and what to do about it in this material.

What it is

Mumps is popularly called simply mumps. Even earlier, the disease, which has been known since time immemorial, was called behind the ears. Both names fully reflect the clinical picture of what is happening. In this acute infectious disease, the postauricular salivary glands are affected. As a result, the oval of the face is smoothed out, it becomes round, like that of piglets.

The disease is caused by a special type of virus, the inflammation is not purulent in nature.

Sometimes it spreads not only to the area of ​​the salivary glands behind the ears, but also to the sex glands, as well as to other organs that consist of glandular tissue, for example, the pancreas. The nervous system is also affected.

Newborns practically do not get sick with mumps, just as the disease does not occur in infants. Children aged 3 years and older are susceptible to infection. The maximum age of the risk group is 15 years. This does not mean that an adult cannot become infected with mumps from a child. Maybe, but the likelihood is small.

A few decades ago, and even now (from old memory), many mothers of boys are very afraid of this disease, because mumps, if it affects the child’s gonads, can lead to infertility. This outcome was indeed quite common half a century ago. Now, in connection with universal vaccination, cases of mumps are reported less frequently, and the course of the disease itself became somewhat easier.

Boys actually get mumps several times more often than girls. Once infected with mumps, the child develops lifelong immunity. However, there are also cases of re-infection if, for some reason, stable immunity was not formed the first time. Moreover, among the “recidivists” it is also boys who predominate.

Previously, the disease was called mumps. This name has been preserved in medical reference books today, but it cannot be considered absolutely reliable. This is again due to vaccination. Epidemics of this disease have not occurred for several decades, and therefore the adjective “epidemic” is gradually being replaced. When a child is diagnosed with mumps, doctors now write down one word in the medical record - mumps.

About the pathogen

The virus that causes this unpleasant disease belongs to the genus Rubulavirus, and for this reason it is the closest “relative” to parainfluenza viruses types 2 and 4 in humans and several varieties of parainfluenza viruses in monkeys and pigs. It is quite difficult to call paramyxovirus strong and stable, since, despite all its insidiousness, it is quickly destroyed in the external environment. He dies, like most of his “relatives,” when heated, when exposed to sunlight and artificial ultraviolet rays, and is afraid of contact with formaldehyde and solvents.

But in the cold, the mumps virus feels great.

It can even survive in environments at temperatures as low as minus 70 degrees Celsius.

It is precisely this feature that determines the seasonality of the disease - mumps is most often contracted in the winter. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets; some medical sources indicate the possibility of infection through contact.

The incubation period from the moment of infection until the appearance of the first symptoms lasts from 9-11 to 21-23 days. Most often - two weeks. During this time, the paramyxovirus manages to “get comfortable” on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, penetrate into the blood, cause “clumping” of red blood cells and reach the glands, because glandular tissue is the favorite and most favorable environment for its replication.

Symptoms

At the initial stage after infection, the disease does not manifest itself in any way, because the virus that causes the disease takes time to penetrate and begin to act inside the child’s body. One or two days before the first bright signs of mumps appear, the child may experience slight discomfort - headache, feeling of unreasonable fatigue, slight muscle pain, chills and problems with appetite.

Once the virus enters the salivary glands, the first symptoms appear within a few hours. First, a high temperature rises and severe intoxication begins. After about a day, the behind-the-ear glands increase in size (symmetrically on one or both sides). This process is accompanied by dry mouth and pain when trying to chew or talk.

Often children, especially young ones, not understanding where exactly it hurts, begin to complain about a “sore ear.” The pain really radiates into the ears, so kids are not so far from the truth. Unlike pain, tinnitus can be quite pronounced. It is associated with external pressure from the edematous glands on the hearing organs.

The salivary glands very rarely enlarge at the same time.

Usually one becomes swollen several hours earlier than the other. The child's face looks round and unnatural. It becomes even more rounded if, following the behind-the-ear ones, the sublingual and submandibular glands become inflamed.

To the touch the swelling is loose, softened, loose. The color of the child's skin does not change. The baby can stay in this somewhat “bloated” state for 7-10 days. Then the disease declines.

2 weeks after this, a “second wave” may begin, which doctors assess as a complication of mumps. It similarly affects the testicles in boys and the ovaries in girls. Boys most often take the “blow” to the reproductive system. Cases of damage to the gonads in the fair sex are the exception rather than the rule.

Even less often, the virus manages to reach the prostate gland in boys and the mammary gland in girls. The second coming of mumps, like the first, is accompanied by high fever and deterioration of the general condition. The affected testicles increase in size. Ovarian damage cannot be visually determined, but ultrasound diagnostics will come to the rescue. Also, the girl may begin to complain of nagging pain in the lower abdomen on the right or left, as well as on both sides at the same time. The condition lasts up to 7-8 days.

During the “second wave”, the nervous system may also experience symptoms indicating complications of mumps. The most common type is serous meningitis. You can guess that this could happen to a child by the temperature rising to 40.0 degrees or higher, as well as by frequent painful vomiting. The child cannot reach his chin to the sternum and is almost unable to cope with the simple task of bending and straightening his knees. If, during the return of the illness, the child begins to complain of pain in the abdomen, in the back against the background of fever, then be sure to it is worth examining the condition of his pancreas- the virus probably affected her too.

The temperature with mumps usually reaches its maximum on the 2nd day after the onset of the disease and lasts up to a week.

Soreness of the salivary glands is best determined at two points - in front of the earlobe and behind it. These are classic signs of mumps, however, in practice everything can be quite varied, because mumps has different degrees, different types and, accordingly, different symptoms.

Classification

Epidemic parotitis, or, as it is called, viral parotitis, in which the glands are affected by the virus, is called specific. It is the most common and almost always occurs with characteristic, vivid symptoms. Nonspecific parotitis is asymptomatic or with mild symptoms. Sometimes this makes diagnosis difficult, especially if the course of the first symptoms was nonspecific; the “second wave” of the virus attack in this case is perceived unexpectedly, which is fraught with complications.

Mumps is contagious and is always caused by a virus. Non-infectious does not pose a danger to others. Damage to the salivary glands with common parotitis can be caused by injury to the parotid glands or hypothermia. This kind of mumps is also called non-epidemic.

Mumps can occur in three forms:

• mild (symptoms are not expressed or expressed weakly - temperature 37.0-37.7 degrees without obvious intoxication);
• moderate (symptoms are moderate - temperature up to 39.8 degrees, glands are greatly enlarged);
• severe (symptoms are pronounced, the child’s condition is serious - temperatures above 40.0 degrees with prolonged presence, severe intoxication, decreased blood pressure, anorexia).

Usually mumps is acute. But in some cases there is also a chronic disease, which from time to time makes itself felt by inflammation in the salivary glands behind the ear. Chronic mumps is usually non-infectious. Vulgar (ordinary mumps) occurs against the background of damage only to the salivary glands. A complicated disease is an illness that affects other glands, as well as the child’s nervous system.

Causes

When exposed to paramyxovirus, not every child develops the disease. The main reason that influences whether a baby gets mumps or not is his immune status.

If he has not been vaccinated against mumps, then the likelihood of infection increases tenfold.

After vaccination, the baby may also get sick, but in this case, mumps will be much easier for him, and the likelihood of severe complications will be minimal. In numbers it looks like this:

• Among children whose parents refused vaccination, the incidence rate at the first contact with paramyxovirus is 97-98%.
• Complications of mumps develop in 60-70% of unvaccinated children. Every third boy remains infertile after inflammation of the gonads. 10% of unvaccinated children develop deafness as a result of mumps.

A lot depends on seasonality, because at the end of winter and beginning of spring, children’s immune system, as a rule, worsens, and this is the time when the largest number of mumps factors are identified. Children at risk are those who:

• often suffer from colds and viral infections;
• recently completed a long course of antibiotic treatment;
• have recently undergone treatment with hormonal drugs;
• have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, for example;
• They are undernourished and malnourished, and are deficient in vitamins and microelements.

The epidemic regime plays a big role in infecting a child with mumps. If your baby attends kindergarten or goes to school, then the chances of getting infected are naturally higher. The main difficulty is that an infected child becomes contagious several days before the first symptoms appear. Neither he nor his parents are yet aware of the disease, and the children around him are already actively becoming infected while playing and studying together. That's why By the time the first signs appear, several dozen more people may be infected.

Danger

During the course of the disease, mumps is dangerous due to complications such as febrile convulsions, which can develop against a background of high temperature, as well as dehydration, especially in young children. In the later stages, the danger of mumps lies in possible damage to other glands of the body.

The most dangerous are lesions of the gonads and nervous system.

After orchitis (inflammation of the testicles in boys), which resolves after 7-10 days, complete or partial atrophy of the testicles may occur, which leads to deterioration in sperm quality and subsequent male infertility. Teenage boys are more likely to develop prostatitis because the virus can also affect the prostate gland. Prostatitis does not develop in young children.

Consequences for girls occur much less frequently, since paramyxovirus does not infect the ovaries as often. The likelihood of developing infertility in boys after mumps is estimated, according to various sources, at 10-30%. Girls who have had mumps can subsequently have children in 97% of cases. Only 3% of the fair sex who have suffered inflammation of the gonads are deprived of reproductive function.

Dangerous complications of mumps include damage to the central nervous system - meningitis, meningoencephalitis. Meningitis is three times more likely to develop in boys than in girls. Sometimes damage to the nervous system ends with certain groups of nerves losing their functions, which is how deafness develops (in 1-5% of cases of mumps), loss of vision and blindness (1-3% of cases of mumps). When the pancreas is damaged, diabetes mellitus often develops. The pancreas is affected in approximately 65% ​​of cases of complicated mumps. Diabetes develops in 2-5% of children.

After mumps, joints can become inflamed (arthritis), and this complication occurs in approximately 3-5% of children, and in girls it is much more common than in boys. The prognosis for such arthritis is quite favorable, since the inflammation gradually goes away, 2-3 months after recovery from mumps.

For more information about the dangers of mumps, see the following video.

Diagnostics

A typical mumps does not cause any difficulties in diagnosis, and the doctor already at the first glance at a small patient knows what he is dealing with. The situation is much more complicated with atypical mumps - when there is no or almost no temperature, when the postauricular salivary glands are not enlarged. In this case, the doctor will be able to detect mumps only on the basis of laboratory tests.

Moreover, a clinical blood test can tell little about the true cause of the child’s deterioration in well-being.

The most complete picture is provided by the ELISA method, which determines the antibodies that the child’s body produces to the paramyxovirus that has entered the body. They can be found even if the virus has affected only the pancreas or only the gonads, and there are no obvious symptoms.

In the acute stage of the disease, IgM antibodies will be found; upon recovery, they will be replaced by other antibodies - IgG, which remain with the child for life, are determined with each analysis and indicate that the child has suffered mumps and has immunity to this disease. It is possible to determine the presence of the virus not only in the blood, but also in pharyngeal swabs, as well as in the secretions of the parotid salivary gland. Virus particles are detected in cerebrospinal fluid and urine.

Since the virus contains a substance that can cause an allergy, the child may be subcutaneous allergy test. If paramyxovirus circulates in his body, the test will be positive after negative. But if in the very first days from the onset of the disease the test shows a positive result, then this indicates that the child has already suffered from mumps, and now a secondary disease is occurring.

Additional diagnostics are not required; even latent forms of the disease and questionable diagnostic cases are resolved and identified as a result of a blood test or a nasopharyngeal wash. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will definitely find out what school the child goes to, what kindergarten he attends, in order to ask the authorities exercising sanitary control whether there have been any recent outbreaks of mumps in these children's institutions.

If antibodies to the virus in the active stage are found in the child’s blood using ELISA, then it will be necessary to report this to Rospotrebnadzor and the kindergarten or school itself.

Treatment

You can treat mumps at home. True, provided that the child has a mild or moderate form of the disease, only the behind-the-ear glands are enlarged, and there is no high fever (above 40.0 degrees) and debilitating intoxication. A child with severe mumps, signs of central nervous system disorders (meningitis, meningoencephalitis), with enlarged and inflamed gonads, and severe intoxication is hospitalized.

Since a complication such as orchitis (inflammation of the seminal glands) poses the greatest danger to older boys, all adolescents over 12 years of age are strongly recommended to undergo treatment in a hospital under the supervision of doctors. All other boys definitely need strict bed rest, since compliance with it reduces the likelihood of orchitis by 3-4 times.

General requirements

Bed rest is recommended for all children, regardless of gender. Special food is added to it. Regardless of whether the pancreas is affected or not, the child should be given warm pureed semi-liquid food, purees, and liquid cereals. With severe inflammation and enlargement of the post-auricular salivary glands, it is very difficult for a child to chew, and therefore you should not give anything that requires chewing in order to reduce the mechanical load on the jaws.

Preference is given to steamed and stewed foods, fruit purees, and fermented milk products. Everything fried, smoked, salted and pickled, as well as juices and raw vegetables, is prohibited. fatty foods, baked goods. After eating, you should rinse your throat and mouth with a weak solution of furatsilin.

The child should not have contact with healthy children, since he is contagious throughout the acute period. He will be able to go for walks only after the doctor allows it - usually 14 days after the onset of the disease. A prerequisite for returning to the usual daily routine and walks is the absence of fever, intoxication, and the absence of complications.

Inflamed salivary glands can be warmed using dry heat. An electric heating pad, a woolen scarf or a scarf, and preheated salt are suitable for this.

Drug treatment

Since mumps is a viral disease, it does not require special drug treatment. Medicines are needed only for symptomatic use. In addition to diet, bed rest and dry heat, the child is prescribed antipyretic drugs for the affected glands (if the temperature rises above 38.5 degrees). The most preferred products containing paracetamol are: "Paracetamol", "Nurofen", "Panadol". The anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drug Ibuprofen helps well.

If the temperature is difficult to correct, the medications do not work for long and the fever increases again, you can combine Paracetamol with Ibuprofen, giving them in turn. First one medicine, and a few hours later another. You cannot give Asipirin to a child for fever. Acetylsalicylic acid can cause life-threatening Reye's syndrome in children, which affects the liver and brain. To relieve swelling due to mumps, you can use antihistamines, of course, with the permission of your doctor. "Suprastin", "Tavegil", "Loratadine" in an age-appropriate dosage will help alleviate the child’s condition, as they eliminate sensitization caused by the virus.

During treatment, the child will definitely need to be provided with plenty of fluids. The temperature of the liquid should not be high; it is best to absorb the liquid, which is equal in temperature to the child’s body temperature. Antiviral drugs for the most part have no effect on mumps and do not in any way affect the speed of recovery. The same can be said about popular homeopathic medicines with a claimed antiviral effect.

It is a big mistake to give antibiotics to a child with mumps.

Antimicrobial drugs do not affect the virus that caused the disease, but significantly undermine the immune system and thereby increase the likelihood of complications tenfold.

Antiviral drugs, mainly intravenously, in a hospital setting can only be used to treat children with severe forms of mumps and incipient complications of the central nervous system - meningoencephalitis or meningitis. These will be recombinant and leukocyte interferons. Nootropic drugs may be prescribed along with them ( "Pantogam", "Nootropil"). They improve blood supply to the brain, thereby minimizing the consequences of damage.

If the gonads are affected, children, in addition to antipyretic and antihistamine drugs, may be prescribed intravenous drips of glucose with ascorbic acid and hemodez, as well as the administration of glucocorticosteroid hormone "Prednisolone". For boys, a special bandage is placed on the testicles to keep the scrotum elevated. For 2-3 days, cold lotions (water-based) are applied to the testicles, and then dry heat (a woolen scarf, for example, or dry cotton wool) will be useful.

For inflammation of the pancreas, medications are prescribed that relieve spasms of smooth muscles - “No-shpu”, “Papaverine”. Special enzyme-stimulating drugs help normalize the functioning of the organ - "Kontrikal", "Aniprol". Most of these remedies are very difficult to give to a child at home; they require intravenous administration along with a glucose solution, and therefore hospital treatment is recommended for a sick child with complications in the form of pancreatitis.

In the first days, cold can be applied to the pancreas; after two or three days, dry warming compresses can be applied.

You should not give your child medications to normalize stomach activity, as some parents do on their own initiative.

This can only harm the little patient. All children are shown vitamin complexes that are appropriate for their age and contain not only essential vitamins, but also minerals, since the body may lose calcium when taking antihistamines.

Surgical intervention

Surgeons have to intervene in the treatment of mumps only in exceptional cases. This concerns inflammation of the gonads in boys and girls, which cannot be treated with medication. For boys, an incision is made in the tunica albuginea of ​​the testicles; for girls, with severe inflammation of the ovaries, laparoscopic intervention can be performed. Usually there is no such need, and these are more a measure of desperation than existing medical practice for mumps.

Dispensary observation

All children after mumps should be observed in the clinic at their place of residence for a month. Children who have suffered complications from the central nervous system are monitored by a neurologist and an infectious disease specialist for 2 years. Children after damage to the gonads are observed by a urologist and endocrinologist for at least 2-3 years. After inflammation of the pancreas, the child should be monitored by a gastroenterologist for at least a year.

Graft

Mumps is not considered a fatal disease; its mortality rate is extremely low. But the complications and long-term consequences of mumps are quite dangerous, so children are vaccinated against mumps. Unfortunately, there are still parents who refuse vaccinations for some personal reasons. It should be noted that there are no medically substantiated reasons for the harm of such a vaccination today.

The first vaccination against mumps, provided for by the National Vaccination Calendar, is given to a child at 1 year of age.

If at this moment the baby is sick and cannot be vaccinated, then the pediatrician can delay the administration of the vaccine for up to one and a half years. The second vaccination is given to a child at 6 years of age, provided that he has not had mumps before this age.

For vaccination, a live vaccine is used, which contains weakened but real virus particles. The vaccine is produced in Russia. The vaccine is given subcutaneously.

The same drug is administered unscheduled to a child if he has been in contact with a person with mumps. It is important to administer the vaccine no later than 72 hours after contact. If the child has previously been vaccinated, there is no need for emergency administration of a drug containing live paramyxoviruses. Most often in Russia, children are vaccinated with a three-component drug, made in Belgium or America, which simultaneously protects them from measles and rubella.

Children with pathologically weakened immune systems - with HIV infection, tuberculosis, and some oncological diseases - receive medical treatment from vaccination. For each of them, the decision to vaccinate against mumps is made individually; for this, a time is chosen when the child’s condition is more or less stable. Vaccination is contraindicated for children with diseases of the hematopoietic system.

Vaccination will be refused if the child is sick, has a fever, is teething, has digestive problems, diarrhea or constipation. This is a temporary ban that will be lifted immediately after the child gets better.

A temporary taboo on mumps vaccination is also imposed after the child has undergone a course of treatment with hormonal drugs.

With caution, the doctor will give permission for vaccination to a child with an allergy to chicken protein. Most mumps vaccines are made based on it, infecting chicken embryos with the virus. Many parents mistakenly believe that such an allergy in a child is the basis for decisive medical advice. This is wrong. The vaccine is approved even for allergy sufferers, the doctor will simply monitor their condition after vaccination for an hour or two especially carefully, so that if an allergic reaction develops, he will quickly administer antihistamines to the baby.

Children under one year of age are not given the vaccine even during a massive epidemic of infectious mumps.

In this case, the risk of infection is lower than the risk of severe complications from the administration of the drug. The vaccine is not officially considered reactogenic, but in practice, doctors note that after it there may be malaise, increased body temperature, and redness of the throat. Some children begin to feel unwell only a week after vaccination. In this case, the child must be shown to the pediatrician.

A vaccinated child can get mumps. But this probability is much lower than if the child had not been vaccinated. The disease in case of illness after vaccination usually occurs in a mild form without complications, and sometimes without characteristic symptoms at all. It happens that a person accidentally finds out that he has antibodies in his blood, that he once had mumps.

Prevention

Mumps is a disease that cannot be protected from only by following the rules of hygiene and eating right. The most reliable specific prevention is vaccination. Everything else is the correct quarantine measures that are taken in case someone from the baby’s environment gets sick.

The patient is isolated for 10-12 days. During this time, a quarantine is declared in a kindergarten or school for 21 days. Premises, dishes, and toys are treated with special care, because paramyxoviruses die upon contact with disinfectants.

All children who have not previously been vaccinated against mumps, as well as children who have not been fully vaccinated (one out of two vaccinations have been given), are urgently vaccinated if no more than three days have passed since contact with a sick peer. Parents can do everything on their own for prevention to strengthen the child’s immunity. This is a correct lifestyle, hardening, nutritious and balanced nutrition, physical activity for the baby.

Mumps (mumps) is an infectious disease caused by a virus. Mumps most often affects children aged 1-15 years.

Causes of mumps

The source of infection is only a sick child. Animals do not get mumps. Children are contagious not only with pronounced symptoms of mumps, but also with erased forms and asymptomatic disease. Virus transmission occurs through airborne droplets. Viruses are not transmitted through objects. The virus is stable in the external environment, but quickly dies from low temperatures. The virus is transmitted through saliva when coughing and sneezing, so if a child, in addition to mumps, also has a cold, then its infectiousness increases several times. In addition to saliva, the virus is also excreted in urine. The child begins to release viruses into the environment 2-3 days before the first clinical signs of mumps appear and continues until the 10th day of the disease.

Like all infections, mumps has several stages, the first of which is the incubation period. From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first clinical symptoms of mumps, 12 to 21 days pass. After the virus enters the child’s body, it enters the blood through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and spreads throughout the body. The virus has a tropism (preference) for glandular organs (salivary glands, pancreas, prostate, testicles, thyroid gland) and the nervous system. In these organs, mumps viruses accumulate, multiply, and at the end of the incubation period they again enter the bloodstream (the second wave of viremia). Viruses remain in the blood for 5-7 days, during which they can be detected using special research methods, which helps in making a diagnosis.

The next stage of mumps is the stage of clinical manifestations. In the classic course of mumps in children, the disease begins with an increase in body temperature (up to 38° C). After 1-2 days, swelling and pain appear in the area of ​​the parotid salivary gland (the area of ​​the cheek close to the ear, approximately in the central part). The skin over the parotid salivary gland is stretched and cannot be folded with your fingers. Since the salivary gland becomes inflamed, its function is impaired, which is why the mouth feels dry. Saliva has digestive properties and antibacterial properties. Therefore, it is possible that both dyspeptic disorders (nausea, abdominal pain, stool disorders) and bacterial infections of the oral cavity (stomatitis) may occur. Damage to the salivary gland during mumps can be either unilateral or bilateral. In addition to the parotid gland, mumps can affect the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands. In this case, the face takes on a puffy appearance, especially the chin and parotid parts. Because of this, the disease received its popular name - mumps, since the face resembles the “muzzle” of a pig. Damage to the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands does not occur without damage to the parotid salivary glands.

If other organs are involved in the inflammatory process, then complicated mumps develops. Quite often the pancreas is involved in the inflammation process. In this case, children experience heaviness in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, bowel movements, and abdominal pain. Changes characteristic of pancreatitis are observed both in urine and in biochemical blood tests (increased amylase, diastase).

In older children (school age boys), damage to the testicles (orchitis) and prostate gland (prostatitis) may occur. With orchitis, most often only one testicle is affected. It swells, the skin on the scrotum becomes red and warm to the touch. With prostatitis, pain is localized in the perineal area. A rectal examination (a finger is inserted into the rectum and the rectal cavity is palpated) reveals a tumor-like formation that is painful to the touch. Girls may experience damage to the ovaries (oophoritis), which is manifested by abdominal pain and nausea.

In addition to the glandular organs, the mumps virus can affect the nervous system with the development of meningitis and meningism.

Meningitis is characterized by headache, high body temperature, and vomiting. The child develops stiff neck muscles (the child cannot reach his chin to his chest independently or with the help of others). This condition is very dangerous, as it is associated with damage to the nervous system. To clarify the diagnosis, a lumbar puncture (puncture of the spinal cord with sampling of cerebrospinal fluid) and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid are performed.

Meningism is a condition similar to meningitis (occurs with fever, nausea, vomiting, headache), but there are no changes in the cerebrospinal fluid. This condition appears on the 5th day of mumps. This condition does not require specific treatment, only observation is necessary.

All symptoms disappear on their own 3-4 days after their onset.

In addition to classic mumps, erased and asymptomatic forms of mumps can occur. With the erased form of the disease, body temperature rises slightly (37.0 – 37.5º C). There is no damage to the salivary glands, or there is slight swelling of the parotid gland, which goes away after 2-3 days. The asymptomatic form of mumps occurs without any symptoms and does not bother children at all.

The erased and asymptomatic form poses a danger to surrounding children, since in these cases it is difficult to make a correct diagnosis, and quarantine measures are not imposed on sick children. Asymptomatic carriage of the mumps virus contributes to the spread of the disease. Laboratory research methods that identify the virus in the blood of a sick child help to establish an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnosis of mumps

In addition to mumps, children may experience non-infectious inflammation of the parotid salivary gland. This condition can be observed in diseases of the oral cavity (caries, gingivitis, stomatitis). In this case, the salivary gland is affected only on one side. It is swollen, but painless. If such manifestations occur, you should consult a dentist.

If it is difficult to make a diagnosis, it is necessary to take a blood sample to determine the viruses in the blood. Treatment of mumps until the diagnosis is clarified is carried out as for mumps.

Treatment of mumps in children

Treatment of children with mild forms of mumps is carried out at home.

Treating mumps at home

Children are prescribed strict bed rest for the entire period of fever. Food should be light and not require prolonged mechanical processing in the mouth (porridge, soups, broths), since it is difficult for a sick child to chew. It is necessary to use antiviral and immunostimulating drugs (groprinosin 50 mg/kg/day). Dry heat can be applied to the parotid gland area. Antipyretic drugs (ibuprofen, paracetamol) are used to reduce body temperature. If the child’s body temperature is high (above 39º C), intramuscular injections of analgin with papaverine are used at the rate of 0.1 ml for each year of life.

Children can visit the children's group 14-15 days after the onset of the disease.

Inpatient treatment of mumps

Treatment of complicated forms of mumps is carried out only in a hospital

If the pancreas is damaged, a strict diet is prescribed with the exception of spicy, fatty, fried, and smoked foods. It is necessary to adhere to the diet for 12 months after recovery to prevent the development of diabetes mellitus in the future. Cold is applied to the pancreas area. In case of severe pain, antispasmodics (no-spa, drotoverine) can be used. It is necessary to carry out detoxification therapy with intravenous saline solutions. To reduce the load on the pancreas and prevent the development of dyspeptic disorders, it is necessary to use enzyme preparations (Creon, Mezim). If pain persists for a long time, consultation with a surgeon is necessary.

For orchitis, prednisolone is prescribed at a dosage of 1.5 mg/kg/day intramuscularly for 10 days to prevent the development of testicular atrophy.

Cold is used to relieve swelling due to mumps.

Children with meningitis are advised to undergo round-the-clock medical observation and strict bed rest. It is necessary to relieve cerebral edema. To do this, a lumbar puncture is performed and diuretics (Lasix, furosemide) are used. It is very important to use drugs that stimulate brain activity - nootropics (piracetam, nootropil, fezam, phenibut) to prevent long-term consequences. In severe cases of meningitis, a glucocorticosteroid (prednisolone) is prescribed. Discharge of children from the hospital with meningitis is carried out only after complete normalization of cerebrospinal fluid parameters.

Complications of mumps

After suffering from the disease, children develop stable lifelong immunity.

The appearance of complications of the disease is associated with damage to certain organs. These may be: diabetes mellitus, aspermia (lack of sperm) and others. Mumps is a very dangerous disease during pregnancy. In this case, the virus can cause disruption of fetal development with the appearance of congenital malformations and even lead to termination of pregnancy, especially in the early stages of pregnancy.

Prevention of mumps

To prevent mumps, it is very important to vaccinate your child against mumps. Since only humans are the carrier of the virus, it is within our power to completely eradicate this disease through universal immunization. Children must be vaccinated twice, since immunity after vaccination lasts for 6 years. The first vaccination is carried out at the age of 12 months together with rubella and measles. The same vaccination is repeated at the age of 6 years. The incidence of mumps among vaccinated children occurs in isolated cases and may be associated with late vaccination or non-compliance with vaccination techniques.

In addition to specific prevention (vaccinations), nonspecific prevention of mumps can be carried out among contact children. It is carried out with antiviral drugs: groprinosin, viferon, interferon.

Children who become ill with mumps are removed from the children's group for 14-15 days. Contact children are subject to quarantine for 21 days. If during this time new cases of mumps are identified, quarantine measures are extended.

Pediatrician Litashov M.V.

Mumps (mumps) is a viral infection that is highly contagious and poses a great danger to the health of the child. Most often, this disease affects children 5-8 years old. But the risk of infection remains until the age of 16. Adults are rarely affected by mumps.

The disease itself is not life-threatening. The complications it causes are dangerous. There are no specific medications for mumps. Therefore, the best way to protect your child from infection is to get vaccinated. Thanks to mass vaccination, there are virtually no cases of illness today.

Causes and routes of infection

Mumps is caused by the Paramyxovirus virus. In the external environment, it is sensitive to heat and the action of disinfectants. But in the cold it is more stable. Therefore, the disease most often occurs during the off-season.

Once in the human body, the virus attacks the cells of the glands of parenchymal organs. It enters the salivary glands hematogenously (through lymphatic and blood vessels). The virus spreads throughout the body, choosing favorable conditions for reproduction. These can be the parotid, salivary, submandibular and other glandular organs (genital, pancreas), central nervous system.

Mumps is transmitted only from person to person. This mainly occurs through the patient’s saliva, sometimes through contact through unwashed hands. Typically, outbreaks of infection are observed in children's groups where there is close contact between children. The peak incidence occurs in autumn-winter.

After the illness, children remain stable immunity to paramyxovirus. Children under 6 months of age practically do not get mumps, since they still have protective antibodies passed on from their mother. Mumps most often affects boys (2 times more often than girls). And the disease causes complications 3 times more often.

There are a number of factors predisposing to infection:

• refusal to vaccinate;
• cold season;
• weakened immune system. It weakens due to frequent colds, long-term use of antibiotics, chronic diseases, poor nutrition;
• failure to comply with quarantine.

Characteristic signs and symptoms

Like any viral infection, mumps develops in several stages. The first is the incubation period, which can last about 12-20 days. After this, the period of clinical manifestations of the disease begins. The classic course of mumps in children is characterized by an increase in temperature.

As with most ARVIs, the following are observed:

• chills;
• weakness;
• lethargy;
• joint pain;
• loss of appetite.

After 1-2 days, swelling appears in the area of ​​the salivary gland, which is accompanied by pain. The inflammatory process causes dysfunction of the gland and provokes dry mouth. The swelling often forms on one side of the salivary gland, sometimes on both. Other glands may also be affected, resulting in a puffy face. The face becomes similar to a pig’s “snout” (hence the name “pig”). The surface of the skin does not change.

Due to the inflammatory process, the flow of saliva is disrupted. The salivary gland duct swells and turns red. The oral cavity is not cleansed with saliva, is not saturated with minerals, a lot of pathogenic microflora accumulates in it, and acidity increases. Inflammation of the gums and infectious stomatitis are added. The maximum increase in the size of the glands occurs by the 4-5th day of illness. After this, the swelling gradually subsides.

Mumps can also occur in an atypical form, without visible symptoms. The erased form is characterized by an increase in temperature to the level of low-grade fever; there is no pronounced characteristic damage to the glands. At the same time, This course of the disease is the most dangerous for others. A child can infect healthy children for a long time, since there is no suspicion that he has an infection.

Diagnostics

If the disease has a typical course, the diagnosis is not difficult to make, given the characteristic external signs. Atypical variants of the disease are more difficult to identify. Diagnosis is difficult if there is no swelling of the salivary glands or if the affected organ is isolated. Therefore, additional tests are prescribed:

• clinical blood test (leukopenia is detected);
• serological and virological blood tests;
• ELISA – detection of specific antibodies of the IgM class.

Possible complications

Mumps is often accompanied by complications in the form of damage to the nervous system and various glands. In childhood, mumps is complicated by serous meningitis (especially boys). In 10% of cases, meningitis begins to develop before the salivary glands become inflamed.

Other complications of mumps:

• Orchitis (testicular damage) – observed in 50% of complications. More often it affects unvaccinated boys in adolescence. In severe cases, orchitis can lead to infertility.
• Pancreatitis occurs on days 4-7 of the disease. The child develops abdominal pain, vomiting, and nausea.
• Diabetes mellitus - when the structure of the pancreas is disrupted due to pancreatitis, insulin production is disrupted. The child may develop type 1 diabetes.
• Oophoritis is inflammation of the ovaries in girls. Rarely seen.
• Labyrinthitis is damage to the auditory nerve due to swelling. Sometimes it leads to complete hearing loss.

Rules and methods of treatment

For the treatment of mumps it is necessary to contact an infectious disease specialist. If the disease causes complications, you may need the help of a neurologist, endocrinologist, ENT specialist, or rheumatologist. In most cases, treatment is carried out at home. In more severe forms and complications (meningitis, orchitis, pancreatitis), hospitalization of the child is required.

• proper care;
• diet;
• medicines.

Note! There are no effective drugs designed to combat Paramyxovirus. Therefore, therapy is aimed at eliminating symptoms and reducing the likelihood of complications.

Caring for a small patient

A sick child should be isolated from other children as quickly as possible. After which he needs to be provided with a special regime to speed up the recovery process:

• Stay in bed for at least 10 days until the acute symptoms of the disease pass.
• Avoid physical and psychological stress.
• Do not overcool the child.
• Frequently ventilate the room where the patient is.
• The child must have separate utensils and personal hygiene products.

Diet and nutrition rules

Nutrition principles:

• eat 4-5 times a day;
• limit the caloric content of food intake;
• drink up to 2 liters of liquid per day.

Can be used:

• lean meats (boil);
• boiled lean fish;
• fresh vegetables and fruits;
• vegetable broth soups;
• porridge;
• pasta;
• dairy products with 0% fat content.

It is allowed to take no more than 60 g of butter per day, three times a week you can make an omelet of 2 eggs.

Forbidden:

• fatty meats;
• legumes;
• fried and smoked;
• chocolate;
• canned foods;
• spicy seasonings.

Drug therapy

Taking medications is symptomatic. The doctor selects an individual treatment plan in each specific case. For mumps, different groups of medications may be prescribed, depending on the symptoms and course of the disease.

To eliminate inflammation and relieve high fever in mild cases of mumps, NSAIDs are prescribed:

• Ketoprofen;
• Ibuprofen;
• Piroxicam.

In severe complications, corticosteroids have a more pronounced anti-inflammatory effect:

• Prednisolone;
• Dexamethasone.

To reduce the reactivity of the immune system, it is recommended to take desensitizers along with other drugs:

To improve digestion in case of pancreatitis, enzymatic agents are prescribed:

• Creon;
• Festal;
• Mezim.

Preventive measures

The only effective preventive measure against mumps is vaccination - measles, rubella, mumps. Today there are several types of vaccines, the work of which is based on a single mechanism. After receiving the antigen, the body begins to produce antibodies. The child develops lifelong immunity against the virus. The complex MMR vaccine is mainly used. Vaccination against mumps is carried out 2 times - at 1 and 6 (7) years.

Nonspecific preventive measures:

• strengthening the immune system;
• frequent ventilation of the room and wet cleaning;
• disinfection of toys;
• isolation of infected children.

Mumps today is not a widespread infection due to mass vaccination. Some parents do not vaccinate their children, considering vaccination to have a detrimental effect on immunity. If a child does get mumps, the complications can be very serious. It is better to protect your baby in advance and not risk his health.

More interesting details about mumps in children in the following video: