Mumps natural history

Overview
Majority of the patients infected with mumps usually recover completely. However, mumps can occasionally cause complications, and some of them can be serious. Complications may occur even if the patient does not have swollen salivary glands (parotitis) and are more common in people who have reached puberty.

Prognosis
The disease is self-limiting, and the prognosis is generally good, even if other organs are involved. After the illness, life-long immunity to mumps generally occurs. Sterility in men secondary to testicular involvement and death are very rare occurrences.

Complications

 * Complications may occur even if the patient does not have swollen salivary glands (parotitis) and are more common in people who have reached puberty.


 * Rare complications of mumps include:
 * Profound (91 dB or more) but rare sensorineural hearing loss which may be either unilateral or bilateral


 * Mild forms of meningitis (~40% of cases occur without parotid swelling)
 * Encephalitis (very rare, rarely fatal)


 * Sterility in men secondary to orchitis is quite rare and mostly occurs in older men


 * Oophoritis and/or mastitis in females who have reached puberty

Resources

 * CDC: Mumps Complications