Mumps disease: signs and treatment of mumps. Mumps disease and its symptoms in children Mumps in children symptoms

Young children and adolescents are more likely to become infected than adults. A common disease is mumps, in simple terms it is mumps. It will be useful for parents to know and distinguish mumps, symptoms in children and methods of treatment.

Before you understand the symptoms, treatment methods, and consequences, you need to understand what mumps is. This is an infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous glands, usually those located behind the ears. People call the disease mumps and they know that you can get infected in two ways - airborne and through personal belongings.

Mumps is a seasonal disease. The peak occurs in late autumn and winter, the incubation period is several days, so it is difficult to immediately distinguish a sick person from a healthy one.

The disease cannot be ignored. More often it passes without noticeable symptoms, but the consequences can be serious. Vaccination against the disease reduces the risk of disease.

Symptoms and treatments were known even before our era. Mumps got its name because of the appearance of the sick person. Severe swelling in the neck area makes a person look like a pig.

The massive epidemic disease mumps became known in the 17th-19th centuries in the army. In the barracks, due to the huge number of people and lack of hygiene, the soldiers fell ill one after another. At that time there was no name for this disease; it was called “soldier’s disease.” The first vaccine was developed in 1945. To do this, experiments were carried out on animals in the laboratory.

The monkeys were inoculated with the virus, thereby identifying the cause of the disease. It became known empirically that in the natural environment one cannot become infected with mumps from domestic animals; it is a human disease. Thanks to vaccination, cases of mumps are rare.

This disease is caused by a virus of the Paramyxovirus family. It cannot survive in space for a long time; the virus cells are destroyed by heat, sunlight, and reactions with solvents and formaldehyde. In a cold environment, it “feels” better, so the peak of diseases occurs in the cold season. Animals do not carry the disease. It affects the salivary, pancreatic, and sometimes inguinal glands. The inflammatory process can affect the nervous system.

Classification and types of mumps

The disease can occur with or without symptoms. There are three areas of the disease:

• mild form - symptoms are minor. Feeling unwell;
• medium form - noticeable symptoms, the virus affects the salivary glands, intoxication of the body occurs;
• severe form - pronounced symptoms, accompanied by complications.

Depending on the viral cells that have entered the body, the person’s age, and physical characteristics, two types of mumps can be distinguished:

• Inapparent, occurring without significant symptoms;
• Manifestative, symptoms range from mild to severe.

Inapparent parotitis

In this form the disease is difficult to distinguish. There are no symptoms at all. The danger lies in the infection, which is transmitted without visible consequences. A person feels as usual, but he himself is a spreader of a dangerous virus.

Manifest mumps

Mumps most often passes without serious consequences, but cases of severe forms also occur. Manifest mumps can also be divided into two types: without consequences and with complications. When uncomplicated, the virus spreads to one or more glands, other organs are not affected. Complicated mumps affects the kidneys, brain, heart, and joints. In the most extreme cases, it leads to deafness, more often to meningitis, arthritis, orchitis.

Who can get mumps?

Mumps spares neither adults nor children. More often the disease attacks children aged 5 to 15 years. Small children under 12 months of age get mumps extremely rarely. If the mother lacks immunity, the child does not receive adequate protection. In this case, infection is possible. From three to five years of age it is easier to get sick, complications are minimal. Between 5 and 12 years of age, children are at greater risk.

The older the person, the more difficult it is to tolerate the infection. Boys and men are more likely to get mumps. After illness at 12 years of age or older, they have a high chance of getting complications in the genitals.

Lack of vaccination is the main sign of the disease in adults. Vaccinated people can also be susceptible to the disease, but in very rare cases, it goes away without any special symptoms or complications.

People who have had mumps retain lifelong immunity to the virus. Re-infection is impossible, as is the case with, for example, chickenpox.

Symptoms of mumps in children

Symptoms of mumps in children manifest themselves in different ways. The reason for this is the body’s different perception of the virus. However, most often the disease is accompanied by specific symptoms. Depending on the stage, the following symptoms are distinguished:

During the incubation period, the child has no obvious symptoms. The baby looks as usual and does not complain about anything.

After the incubation period, primary symptoms follow. These include an increase in the child’s temperature to 38.0-38.5, at this stage it can be confused with the ORV virus:

• headaches;
• cough;
• swelling of the mucous membrane of the throat;
• muscle pain;
• weakness;
• dizziness;
• sometimes runny nose.

At this stage, immediate treatment is necessary to prevent the virus from progressing.

Primary symptoms are replaced by pronounced ones. After two days, the child develops swelling in the area behind the ear gland. One or two glands may be affected. The disease is painful; it is difficult for the child to chew and swallow food and drink liquids. This may cause indigestion, weakness, and nausea. The face ceases to be symmetrical in shape. One or both sides of the face swell. The disease received its popular name “mumps” due to changes in the shape of the face; it becomes similar to a “pig’s face.”

The main distinguishing symptoms of mumps in children are pain and enlargement of the mucous glands in the neck.

Insidious consequences

Common complications include:

1. Labyrinthitis, such a complication can lead to deafness - complete or partial.
2. Orchitis is no less terrible. Dangerous for boys and men. Leads to disruption of the ovaries, sperm production stops. May lead to infertility.
3. The virus is also merciless in relation to the female population. Adnexitis is a terrible disease that is followed by mumps. Inflammation of the ovaries and damage to the fallopian tubes occurs. As a result, menstrual irregularities and, in extreme cases, infertility.
4. Severe complications of the virus include meningitis. Accompanied by severe, periodic headaches, memory loss and impaired attention are possible.
5. The complication can also affect the thyroid gland. This disease is called pancreatitis.
6. A number of serious complications may also include: inflammation of the pancreas, diabetes, arthritis, arthrosis and other terrible diseases.

It is not uncommon that after an illness, complications can manifest themselves throughout a person’s life. They are seasonal.

Diagnosis of the disease

There are cases when the disease is almost asymptomatic. Even if a tumor and other symptoms of mumps are visible to the naked eye, it is too early to draw conclusions. In rare cases, leukemia and other diseases can manifest themselves in a similar way. Therefore, symptoms, treatment and prevention of mumps in children should be identified and carried out under the supervision of doctors?

First, you need to contact specialized medical institutions; it is best to first call a doctor at home, the risk of infecting others will decrease. If, when examining the child, the doctor still has doubts, then a series of tests are prescribed.

Typical tests include examining the blood and saliva of a sick person. A blood test will accurately determine the presence of the virus in the body. Also, urine can be sent for analysis, which also contains antibodies in case of infection.

One method is to perform a subcutaneous allergy test. Mumps can cause an allergic reaction in a child, so this is also one of the effective methods. There are also a number of other tests if doctors still doubt the nature of the disease.

After examining the patient, checking the necessary tests and identifying mumps, treatment with mandatory isolation is prescribed.

Treatment methods

There are no clear treatment methods or special medications. Treatment is carried out at home on the recommendation of a doctor. Drugs are used only to reduce the symptoms of an ongoing infection. However, there are a number of rules that must be followed at all stages of treatment, which can be divided into three different areas:

1. Patient care
2. Strict diet
3. Medication assistance.

The first step is to isolate the patient from others and provide him with a calm environment. The child should be provided with bed rest during the entire treatment period. Hypothermia and stress are strictly prohibited. It is necessary to ventilate the room at least several times a day. The infected person must have his own dishes, hygiene items, and toys.

The diet for mumps is simple, but you must adhere to it strictly. So the main requirements include:

• eat frequently, at least 4 times a day;
• drinking plenty of water: water, warm milk, hot tea, juices, lemonades are strictly prohibited;
• observe the calorie content of food. Fried, salty and spicy foods are strictly prohibited.

You can eat boiled meat, vegetables, non-sour fruits; it is not recommended to eat sweet products.

There are no specific drugs to treat mumps. However, medications are used to reduce the symptoms of the virus, which are selected individually. During the treatment period, it must be taken into account that warming ointments and substances should not be used on the affected area; a warm, dry towel can be applied to relieve painful symptoms. It is necessary to rinse the mouth with chamomile decoction or Furacilin solution. To reduce temperature, antipyretic components are used. Painkillers will help reduce pain.

If a child shows signs of deterioration, it is strictly necessary to call an ambulance. She can send the baby to a dispensary, where he will receive medical care without the risk of complications. Self-treatment in this case is prohibited.

Most often, mumps goes away without serious complications; surgical intervention is an exceptional case. It is used in case of complications on the gonads in boys and girls who are in an extremely neglected situation. This is usually the last decision in the current situation. Only thanks to surgeons is there a chance of improving the child’s condition; doctors perform surgery to preserve reproductive function.

Prevention of disease. Vaccinations

Prevention of mumps is mandatory for everyone from an early age. An effective way to get rid of the disease is vaccination. The vaccination is carried out once at the age of 16 months. This is a common mandatory procedure that most often takes place without consequences. The exception is permissible complications - fever, rash, runny nose and other minor symptoms that quickly pass.

Many people wonder if the vaccination has been carried out, which means the child will not get mumps. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. A vaccinated child will survive the infection much easier, and the risk of complications is reduced to zero. Vaccination is beneficial and reduces risks, so you should weigh the pros and cons, and only then make the right decision. Vaccination is mandatory; during an outbreak, parents should take additional measures:

• isolation of sick children;
• ventilation of rooms;
• use of masks;
• sterilization of cutlery and household items;
• strengthening the immune system.

Such simple and easy methods of prevention will help protect children from the virus and simply keep their body in good shape.

Conclusion

Mumps in children, the symptoms and treatment of which should be determined by medical specialists, is a serious infectious disease. But if your child gets mumps, don't panic. Follow the doctors' instructions, the illness will pass without consequences.

Ekaterina Morozova

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Mumps, or mumps, is a viral acute disease accompanied by inflammation of the salivary glands. The disease is widespread mainly among children from five to fifteen years old, but there are cases when adults get sick.

Infectious disease mumps - how and why does mumps occur in children?

Mumps is a childhood disease, and therefore most often affects children aged three to seven years. Boys are twice as likely as girls to get mumps.
The causative agent of mumps is a virus of the paramycovirus family, which is related to influenza viruses. However, unlike influenza, it is less stable in the external environment. Mumps infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Basically, infection occurs after communicating with a sick person. There may be cases of mumps through dishes, toys or other objects.

The infection affects the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, nose and mouth. The parotid glands are often affected.

The first signs of the disease after contact with a patient can be detected in about thirteen to nineteen days. The first sign is an increase in body temperature to forty degrees. After a while, the ear area begins to swell, pain appears, pain when swallowing, and saliva production increases.

Due to the long incubation period, mumps is dangerous. A child, communicating with children, infects them.

Mumps disease most often occurs during times of weakening of the body and lack of vitamins in it - in the spring and at the end of winter.

Signs and symptoms of mumps in children - photos of what mumps disease looks like

The first signs of the disease appear after two to three weeks.

Signs of mumps are as follows:

• Feeling of general weakness, chills and malaise;
• The child loses his appetite, he becomes capricious and lethargic;
• Headache and muscle pain appear;
• Body temperature rises.

Inflammation of the salivary glands is the main symptom of mumps in children. First of all, this concerns the salivary parotid glands. Often they swell on both sides, the swelling even extends to the neck. As a result, the patient’s face takes on characteristic shapes and becomes puffy. That is why people call the disease mumps.

Some children may have a hard time getting sick. Swelling of the parotid glands is accompanied by parallel swelling of the sublingual and submandibular glands. Edema bothers the child with its pain. Children complain of pain when talking, eating, and ear pain. In the absence of complications, the persistence of such symptoms lasts from seven to ten days.

Why mumps is dangerous for girls and boys - possible consequences of mumps disease

The consequences of mumps can be dire. That is why, if there are any signs of the disease, it is very important to consult a doctor to prescribe the correct treatment.

Among the complications that mumps disease can lead to are the following:

• Acute serous meningitis;
• Meningoencephalitis, dangerous to health and life;
• Damage to the middle ear, which can subsequently cause deafness;
• Inflammation of the thyroid gland;
• Disruption of the central nervous system (CNS);
• Pancreatitis;
• Inflammation of the pancreas.

Mumps is considered especially dangerous for males. Moreover, the older the sick child, the more dangerous the consequences. This is due to the fact that in approximately twenty percent of cases, mumps can affect the spermatogenic epithelium of the testicles. This may cause infertility in the future.

A complicated form of mumps leads to inflammation of the testicles. There is pain in the gonad. The testicle becomes enlarged, swells and turns red. Swelling is usually observed first in one testicle, and then in the other.

Orchitis, in some cases, can result in atrophy (testicular function dies), which for the future man is the cause of subsequent infertility.

• There are no specific methods for getting rid of mumps. Everything is done to prevent the development of complications and alleviate the patient’s condition. If possible, the boy is placed in a separate room and provided with bed rest.
• To avoid the development of pancreatitis, the child needs to be provided with the right diet. When the disease proceeds without complications, mumps can be cured in a child in ten to twelve days.
• The disease is less well tolerated with age. If a boy's mumps is not accompanied by orchitis, there is no need to worry about infertility. Mumps is considered extremely dangerous when puberty occurs. To avoid a disease with serious consequences, it is necessary to get vaccinated for preventive purposes at the age of one year and at six to seven years.

Mumps in children or the more common name - piggy, is part of the group of “childhood” infections and is an acute infectious viral disease. The causative agent of this disease in children is a virus mumps, belonging to the same variety as the measles virus. First of all piggy affects the glandular tissue of the infected organism - the salivary and parotid glands, sometimes causing inflammation of the pancreas. Children aged 3-6 years are most often infected with mumps (more than 90% of cases of the disease mumps - in children under 14 years of age), and this infection affects boys several times more than girls. All people who have had mumps in childhood acquire stable immunity to this disease throughout life.
Like most “childhood” viral diseases, piggy transmitted by airborne droplets and through contact objects with traces of infected saliva (for example, children's toys). Then, through the bloodstream, the virus penetrates the salivary (and some other) glands and the central nervous system, where it finds a favorable environment for reproduction. In the saliva of an infected person baby virus mumps appears 3-7 days after infection. Incubation period of mumps lasts from 3 to 34 days (on average two weeks). The susceptibility of a child's body to the mumps virus is lower than to the chickenpox or measles viruses, but nevertheless reaches 60%. The peak increase in the number of people infected with mumps occurs in the autumn-winter season (during the cold season).
Virus mumps It is extremely unstable in the external environment and quickly dies when the temperature increases to 70˚C, under the influence of ultraviolet rays and when treated with disinfectants.

Clinical picture:
Disease mumps begins acutely with an increase in body temperature to 38-40˚C. The child’s well-being deteriorates - a fever appears, a headache appears, appetite decreases, he has a fever from chills, his mouth feels sore and dry, pain occurs when chewing and opening the mouth.
Characteristic symptoms of mumps: pain in the ears (increased when talking or chewing) and glands affected by the virus. The skin over the inflamed glands is shiny and stretched (the skin color does not change). A swelling appears near the auricle, which quickly spreads and approximately a week after its appearance, it reaches its maximum size. The earlobe takes on a “pig-like” appearance, protruding forward and upward. During this week, the child’s temperature remains elevated. But if the temperature rises sharply again after normalization, there is a high probability of involvement in the inflammatory process some other organ. In this case, be sure to invite a doctor to see the sick child.

There are three types of flow mumps: light, medium and heavy. With a mild course of the disease, only the salivary glands are inflamed in the child, the high temperature lasts for several days, and the child’s health does not deteriorate significantly. In moderate severity, in addition to the salivary organs, other glandular organs become inflamed, the temperature is higher and lasts longer, sleep is disturbed, appetite worsens, pain when chewing, headache, and lethargy are expressed. In severe cases, many glandular tissues and organs are affected, as well as the central nervous system , the temperature reaches 40 ° C (or more) and persists for several weeks, the child’s well-being deteriorates significantly.

Treatment of mumps :
To reduce the risk of complications, it is necessary to observe bed rest for 8-10 days. Apply dry warming compresses (for example, heated coarse salt wrapped in a soft cloth) to the child’s inflamed parotid swellings.
To prevent inflammation of the pancreas, it is recommended to follow a gentle diet (preferably dairy-vegetable). Exclude fatty foods, flour products, cabbage from your child’s diet and avoid overeating. It is recommended to eat potatoes, brown bread, and boiled rice.
In case of severe disease, physiotherapeutic sessions using diathermy, UHF therapy, and ultraviolet irradiation are very effective.
If you have mumps, more careful oral care is necessary. It is important to rinse your mouth and brush your teeth more thoroughly. Rinse your mouth with a weak solution of soda (1 teaspoon per glass of boiled water).

Possible complications.
Despite the relatively mild course of the disease, piggy dangerous due to possible severe complications.Very often, when the central nervous system is damaged, a sick child develops serous meningitis. It appears 4-5 days after the first symptoms of mumps appear. The condition of the sick child worsens sharply. The temperature rises greatly - up to 40-42 ° C. A severe headache appears and convulsions. Loss of consciousness is possible. The child begins to vomit, not associated with food intake (after which the child continues to feel unwell).
If the central nervous system is damaged, encephalitis may develop. Complications can lead to pathology of the genital, thyroid and pancreas.
With inflammation of the pancreas ( pancreatitis) the child loses his appetite, has stool problems, vomiting, and sharp girdling pain in the abdominal area. Pancreatitis can contribute to the development of obesity and diabetes.
When the gonads are damaged, girls develop inflammation of the ovaries, and boys develop inflammation of the testicles (orchitis). In boys orchitis It is diagnosed quite easily due to its anatomical location and pronounced clinical picture (change in skin color over the testicle and pain). In girls, ovarian inflammation is detected later, since symptoms do not appear immediately and diagnosis is difficult. As a result of the effect of the mumps virus on the function of the gonads, boys may experience testicular atrophy (and, as a result, infertility in men), and girls may experience menstrual dysfunction, ovarian atrophy, and infertility during childbearing years.

Prevention:
The main way to prevent mumps in children is vaccination.
The first vaccination is given simultaneously with the rubella and measles vaccination a year after the birth of the child, with revaccination at 5-6 years. It is advisable to refrain from walking and not to bathe the child on the day of vaccination.
Possible reactions to vaccination:
As a rule, reactions to vaccinations do not occur often. 5-6 days after vaccination with the vaccine, the child may have a slight increase in temperature, swollen lymph nodes, and redness at the injection site. The child may become more capricious for a while. Immunity from mumps appears several weeks after vaccination and remains for for 20-25 years.

Folk remedies for the treatment of mumps in children :
- Inhalation. Make the mixture: take 2 teaspoons of peppermint, 2 tablespoons of sage leaves, elderflowers and linden blossoms, dill seeds, chop the mixture and brew with boiling water (10 cups). Then wrap the child in a blanket and let him breathe in the vapors from the boiling tea leaves. Carry out the procedure for 20-30 minutes. daily.
- Pour boiling water (2 cups) into 2 teaspoons of sage, cover the tea leaves and leave for an hour. Then strain. Take half a glass 4 times a day. It is also useful to gargle the throat of a sick child with the infusion.

Mumps is a common disease that is included in the group of exclusively childhood diseases, along with chickenpox, rubella and measles. In adults it occurs in isolated cases. Thanks to effective vaccination against mumps (mumps), cases of infection have become rare. Children from 3 to 7 years old are susceptible to this disease, but, according to statistics, the disease occurs much more often in boys than in girls.

Infants in their first year of life never suffer from this disease because they receive antibodies from their mother to protect them from infection by the virus. In summer, as a rule, mumps does not appear in children; in 99% of cases, the onset of the disease occurs in winter, when the possibility of contracting various infectious diseases increases due to weakened immunity and the high prevalence of various viruses.

Today, the problem of infection is solved with the help of special ones that reduce its risk to 5%.

The disease affects the glandular tissue of the lymph nodes, primarily those located behind the child’s ears, as well as the salivary glands. In boys, the disease is severe and can cause a lot of serious complications affecting the organs of the genitourinary system, especially the testicles.

Mumps suffered in childhood in most cases is the cause of male infertility. Often mumps is called mumps or behind the ear, as the disease is characterized by acute inflammation localized in the behind-the-ear glands. The disease is severe, accompanied by severe pain in the head and body muscles, as well as general intoxication.

The disease has a viral etiology, so you can become infected by contact with an already sick child. The mumps virus is resistant to changes in the external environment and temperature levels. Even at sub-zero air temperatures in winter, more than 90% of the pathogen retains its viability for several months.

Infection of children most often occurs during walks and active games with peers in the fresh air, if one of them is already infected.

The disease has a long incubation period, up to 23 days, during which the viruses actively multiply and can spread. Thus, a child can become infected after a normal walk or while playing from other children who do not yet know about their illness and that they are the source of infection.

Symptoms

Main symptoms of the disease:

• headaches;
• chills;
• increase in temperature;
• pain in joints and muscles;
• dry mouth;
• weakness;
• the appearance of a tumor in the neck.

Most often, mumps begins suddenly, with a sharp increase in body temperature, the appearance of weakness, and severe headaches. Fever with mumps is not always observed, but a high temperature (up to 40°C) usually lasts for about a week.

The main symptom of mumps, which makes it possible to distinguish it from other viral diseases, is inflammation of the salivary glands near the ears, which causes severe visible swelling of the cervical region.

Often the inflammatory process spreads to the sublingual, as well as submandibular glands and lymph nodes. Palpation of the swelling that appears causes severe pain to the child.

Sometimes the face of a sick baby can take on the shape of a pear - the inflamed glands become greatly enlarged, and the proportions of the face are disturbed.

The process can occur in a unilateral form, but in most cases, a maximum of 2 days after the onset of the disease, the lesion spreads to the other side of the head. Each case of the disease may have its own characteristics, but in boys the symptoms are always very pronounced.

Children with mumps usually complain of pain in the ears, which gets worse at night, preventing them from sleeping. In many children, such pain is accompanied by tinnitus and difficulty opening the mouth. A sick child cannot chew on his own, so he is transferred to liquid food.

As a rule, in children, severe pain persists for about 5 days, after which it gradually weakens, and at the same time the swelling of the inflamed glands begins to subside. On average, the disease lasts about a week, and only in particularly acute cases can last up to 13-15 days.

Diagnosis of mumps

Mumps can take two forms:

• simple, when the disease affects only the salivary glands;
• complicated when inflammation spreads to other organs.

Diagnosis of a simple form occurs on the basis of visible symptoms, with the study of anamnesis and test results.

To identify possible complications, many additional studies are carried out, during which not only general tests of urine and blood are studied, but also saliva, as well as secretions, and material is collected from the pharynx.

In recent years, immunofluorescent research techniques have been increasingly used for diagnosis, making it possible to see the mumps virus in the tissues of the nasopharynx.

This diagnostic method is the fastest, but the most informative in terms of determining the type of virus is the enzyme immunoassay method.

Features of the treatment of mumps

If no special complications are observed during the course of the disease, then treatment takes place on an outpatient basis, at home, but the sick child should be isolated from contact with other children.

No special treatment methods are required for ordinary mumps, but it is important that the baby remains in bed throughout the entire duration of the disease. You do not need to take any medications, except for antipyretic and painkillers when needed.

You can give your baby more vitamins and various means to strengthen the immune system, but all prescriptions should be carried out only by a doctor.

The disease itself is not dangerous for the child, but the complications it causes always weaken the overall health of the baby and can have serious consequences, especially for boys. For this reason, mumps must be treated with the utmost seriousness and the disease must be treated based on the symptoms, without leaving things to chance.

If your baby shows any signs of deterioration, you should immediately consult a doctor to prescribe special treatment. In some cases, sick children are admitted to hospital.

Child's lifestyle during treatment

A sick baby should be isolated as soon as the first signs of illness and severe symptoms appear. Infected children must be transferred to a separate room where they will be treated. In this room, wet cleaning with disinfectants, treatment with a quartz lamp and ventilation should be carried out as often as possible.

In addition to a separate room, a sick baby should have personal dishes, a towel, and bed linen, which should be changed frequently and washed separately from the things of other family members.

During the treatment period, the baby should have toys that can be easily disinfected and treated with special means.

An important point is to follow a diet. If it is difficult and painful for your baby to chew, you can switch him to mashed boiled vegetables, cereals, and pureed soups, but you should limit your consumption of meat and it is better to replace it with boiled chicken. Fried, fatty and heavy foods, sour fruits and vegetables should be excluded from the menu.

When preparing food, the patient does not need to add spices and all kinds of herbs to it. It is important to ensure that the baby drinks more warm liquids during therapy, for example, vitamin fruit drinks, compotes, fruit and vegetable juices, and good green tea.

To relieve a sore throat, you can sometimes gargle with a solution of regular baking soda. The baby will be able to walk outside only 2 weeks after complete recovery.

Disease prevention

Preventive measures depend on the cause of the disease.

• Weakened immune system . Babies rarely get mumps because they receive strong but temporary protection from their mother. To avoid illness, it is important to constantly strengthen the baby’s immunity, not only by maintaining the correct balance of vitamins and microelements in his body, but also by carrying out hardening procedures.
• . Many parents believe that such a problem will not affect their baby, and therefore there is no need to give him routine vaccinations. However, timely administration of the vaccine can greatly reduce the risk of possible infection with mumps and the occurrence of serious consequences of this disease.
• Violation of sanitary standards in a kindergarten or other educational institution. Unfortunately, this factor is not uncommon. According to the regulations, if mumps appears in a child attending a kindergarten (school, sports section, special classes), the institution must be closed for temporary quarantine, during which the premises are thoroughly disinfected. But this requirement is not observed in most cases, which contributes to the spread of the disease.
• Negligent attitude of parents towards other people's children . It often happens that a child with an already identified illness is sent to kindergarten (school), without thinking that he will become a source of infection. But there is another side to the problem. Not every parent considers it necessary to notify an educational institution that the baby has been diagnosed with mumps, caring only about their child and depriving them of the opportunity to protect other children from the disease.

Thus, we can identify several basic criteria for the prevention of not only infection with the virus, but also its spread in the event of the disease.

In early childhood, children from 3 to 7 years old may experience the first symptoms of a disease called mumps. Girls get sick much less often than boys. Infection occurs through contact with a sick person. Shared toys, utensils, everything that is passed from one to another. People who have had mumps receive lasting immunity for life.

The occurrence of the disease, mumps, is caused by exposure to paramyxovirus. It occurs in an acute form. Children are exposed to fever, intoxication, and the salivary glands noticeably increase in size. Without timely medical care, mumps can affect the central nervous system, as well as other internal organs.

The virus penetrates inside and affects the mucous membrane of the mouth, nose and nasopharynx. The incubation period is from 2 to 12 days after infection.

The carrier of the disease is a person in a state where the form of the disease is pronounced. Human infection occurs within the first two days after contact with an infected person, then symptoms of mumps appear.

Routes of infection

The viral disease is transmitted through airborne droplets when an infected person is nearby. Toys and dishes, having visited the patient, also become carriers of the disease. People who have not previously been exposed to the virus have a very high chance of becoming infected, especially children. Boys get mumps more often than girls, and this disease manifests itself based on the current season: in the fall it is almost impossible to get infected, but in the spring it worsens.

The spread of the virus begins from the tonsils, upper respiratory tract, and later moves to the salivary glands. Over time, when the initial sign appeared, the symptoms of mumps in children became more noticeable, and there was no treatment, the disease spread to the central nervous system and other organs. An allergic reaction of the body, manifested in external changes in the face, may remain forever.

At first symptoms severe swelling and inflammation of the salivary glands located near the ears appears, spreading to the area in front of the ears, cheeks, and enlarges the face (it looks like a pig’s).

Symptoms

The initial 1-2 days after infection are accompanied by the following symptoms:

• A headache occurs;
• The child or teenager is shivering and feels dry in the mouth;
• Muscles and joints hurt a lot.

Adults feel symptoms more strongly than children.

• Often body temperature increases to 40 degrees in a short period of time and does not decrease throughout the week;
• Headaches become unbearable;
• The person experiences severe chills;
• Weakness appears throughout the body.

Symptoms of mumps in adults and children are expressed by swelling of the submandibular and sublingual glands located near the ears. When pressing on the inflamed area, severe painful sensations appear, and as the disease progresses, the face becomes pear-shaped. The pain intensifies when a person eats food, and is felt more strongly at night. This swelling subsides a couple of days after the acute pain subsides; in adults, the period lasts up to 14 days. The disease is not accompanied by a rash of the face or body.

Consequences

When the first symptoms of the disease are detected, parents should immediately seek medical help: the consequences are disastrous for the child and must be promptly treated. Mumps leads to terrible complications, and the consequences can be fatal:

• Acute inflammation of the pancreas occurs;
• The functioning of the central nervous system is disrupted;
• Pancreatitis appears;
• An acute form of serous meningitis occurs;
• Meningoencephalitis affects the baby's body;
• A child exposed to mumps has damage to the middle ear, which can lead to complete deafness.

Illness in boys

Boys with mumps are at particular risk. The older the child, the greater the likelihood of complications and pathologies, including infertility. After damage to the glands and nervous system, the disease in 20% of cases spreads to the male genital organs, destroying and affecting the spermatogenic epithelium of the testicles. The testicles become inflamed, the boy experiences unbearable pain in the groin area and gonads. Severe redness, swelling and an increase in the size of the testicle are accompanied by pain, and soon spread to the second testicle, which leads to atrophy, dysfunction, and, as a result, infertility, which cannot be treated.

Medicine is not able to offer options for getting rid of the pathology; doctors create conditions so that the disease does not spread further. Strict bed rest and careful care for the child in a separate room are required. To prevent pancreatitis, the baby is prescribed a special diet. Without complications, the disease is cured in ten days.

The older the patient, the more difficult it is to get rid of a viral disease. For a boy who has had mumps, not accompanied by orchitis, infertility will not occur and will not be a lifelong death sentence. The disease poses the greatest danger to adolescents during puberty. To avoid infection in the first year of life, as a preventative measure, vaccinations are given, repeated at the age of 6-7 years.

Disease in adults

The appearance of the disease in adulthood is a rare occurrence, but when the disease is detected, complications cannot be avoided. With a strong immune system, a person will tolerate the disease more easily and undergo treatment, but in any case, vaccination is necessary in early childhood. The symptoms of a disease that appears in an adult man or woman are no different from those in children: swelling of the ears, cheeks, neck, fever, pain. The functioning of the pancreas deteriorates and the genitals are affected. Doctors strongly do not recommend self-medication.

If there is deterioration in the digestive area, a person loses appetite, experiences acute sharp pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Complications in men manifest themselves in testicular atrophy, and for females it threatens severe changes and disturbances in the menstrual cycle.

It is dangerous for men over 30 years old to get mumps, as the form of the disease will be severe and complications, including orchitis, will greatly affect their health. The duration of the acute form of the disease, accompanied by vomiting, fever up to 40 degrees and other manifestations, is three, and in rare cases more, weeks.

• When the central nervous system is damaged, the virus penetrates the brain tissue, and the development of meningoencephalitis leads to partial or complete hearing loss;
• Disturbances in the functioning of the reproductive organs occur in 30% of cases of infection in men, regardless of the form. An adult feels intense heat, swelling and pain in the reddened scrotum area. If left untreated, the disease worsens, orchitis occurs, and the man loses the opportunity to become a father in the future;
• If the thyroid gland is inflamed, encephalitis and meningitis are likely to occur.

Treatment methods

The entire treatment process, with the exception of complications, takes place at home. If the situation requires medical intervention, the patient is hospitalized in the infectious diseases department. Conditions are created at home to alleviate the condition of the infected person.

• Compresses are applied to the throat and cheeks, and a warm scarf is used for bandaging;
• The use of oil compresses is allowed. To create it, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil and soak a gauze bandage in the resulting solution. It is important to ensure that the liquid is not too hot, otherwise the skin can be burned;
• Gargle with water with previously added and thoroughly mixed soda. The proportions are: a teaspoon of soda per glass of warm water;
• Strict adherence to bed rest, starting from the first day until the infected person fully recovers. If the rule is not followed, complications will arise that affect the patient’s condition as a whole;
• The patient must have his own set of dishes, cutlery, and hygiene products, and he must be accommodated in a separate room so that the virus does not spread to others.

Medical supplies

• To reduce the temperature, antipyretics are used: no-shpu, suprastin, analgin;
• If complications occur, consult a doctor. He prescribes a course of antibiotics to prevent purulent discharge;
• If the glands fester, the patient is immediately hospitalized with surgery. The person is observed for ten days;
• To get rid of asthenia and intoxication, special medications are prescribed, as well as antihistamines;
• When a patient has heart problems, medications are prescribed to maintain and improve his condition and function.