Mumps overview

Overview
Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that leads to painful swelling of the salivary glands and is caused by the mumps virus. Mumps is spread through direct contact with an infected person. Symptoms include fever, glandular swelling, headache, sore throat, and orchitis. Mumps is a self-limiting disease, and the prognosis is generally good, even if other organs are involved.

Pathophysiology
Mumps is caused by paramyxovirus and is spread via inhalation of droplet or through direct contact with an infected person. The incubation period is usually 15-20 days.

Developed countries:
Before the routine vaccination program was introduced in the United States, mumps was a common illness in infants, children and young adults. Because most people have now been vaccinated, mumps has become a rare disease in the United States.

Developing countries:
Mumps still remains a significant threat to health among pediatric population in the developing countries.

Risk factors

 * Anyone who is not immune from either previous mumps infection or from vaccination can get mumps.
 * Travelers who are older than 12 months and who do not have evidence of mumps immunity.
 * Immunodeficiency states

Symptoms:

 * Approximately 20-30% cases infected with mumps may remain asymptomatic.


 * Mumps typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite, and is followed by swelling of salivary glands (classically the parotid gland).


 * Painful testicular swelling and rash may also occur.

Physical examination:

 * Presence of swollen salivary glands, particularly parotid gland is characteristic of mumps.

Lab tests:

 * Laboratory testing for mumps virus can be useful, and may include virus isolation from swabs of affected salivary ducts, antigen detection by PCR, and serologic testing for IgM antibody or a significant rise in IgG antibody. However, there are many important caveats to be aware of when interpreting the results.


 * Elevated of serum amylase secondary to the involvment of parotid gland and suspected pancreatitis associated with mumps

Treatment
Currently, there is no specific treatment for mumps. In addition, the disease itself is generally self-limiting, and runs its course before waning. Supportive care with analgesics may provide symptomatic benefit.

Complications
While symptoms are generally not severe in children, the symptoms in teenagers and adults can be more severe and complications such as infertility or subfertility are relatively common, although still rare in absolute terms. undefined undefined