MUMPS
Mumps is an extremely contagious viral infection of the salivary glands that most commonly affects children. The most obvious symptom is swelling of the salivary glands, giving the patient a “hamster-like” face.
Mumps is caused by the mumps virus, which belongs to a family of viruses known as paramyxoviruses. These viruses are a common source of infection, particularly in children.
When you get mumps, the virus moves from your respiratory tract (your nose, mouth and throat) into your parotid glands (saliva-producing glands found either side of your face), where it begins to reproduce. This causes the glands to swell.
The virus can also enter your cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is the fluid that surrounds and protects your brain and spine. Once the virus has entered the CSF, it can spread to other parts of your body, such as your brain, pancreas, testicles (in boys and men) and ovaries (in girls and women).
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of mumps usually appear within two weeks of exposure to the virus. Flu-like symptoms may be the first to appear, including:
- fatigue
- body aches
- headache
- loss of appetite
- low-grade fever
A high fever of 103°F (39°C) and swelling of the salivary glands follow over the next few days. The glands may not all swell at once. More commonly, they swell and become painful periodically. You are most likely to pass the mumps virus to another person from the time you come into contact with the virus to when your parotid glands swell.
Diagnosis
Normally, mumps can be diagnosed by its symptoms alone, especially by examining the facial swelling. A doctor might also:
- Check inside the mouth to see the position of the tonsils – when infected with mumps, a person’s tonsils can get pushed to the side.
- Take the patient’s temperature.
- Take a sample of blood, urine, or saliva to confirm diagnosis.
- Take a sample of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) from the spine for testing – this is usually only in severe cases.
Treatment for mumps
Drinking plenty of fluids may help to relieve the symptoms of mumps.
Because mumps is viral, antibiotics cannot be used to treat it, and at present, there are no anti-viral medications that can treat mumps.
Current treatment can only help relieve the symptoms until the infection has run its course and the body has built up an immunity, much like a cold. In most cases, people recover from mumps within 2 weeks.
Some steps can be taken to help relieve the symptoms of mumps:
- Consume plenty of fluids, ideally water – avoid fruit juices as they stimulate the production of saliva, which can be painful.
- Place something cold on the swollen area to alleviate the pain.
- Eat mushy or liquid food as chewing might be painful.
- Get sufficient rest and sleep.
- Gargle warm salt water.
- Take painkillers.