Consequences of mumps in boys. Mumps is a disease with serious consequences.

Piggy– a common childhood viral disease, which is more common in children from 3 to 15 years old. Surely many have heard about it, and also that great danger this pathology is for boys. Let's find out what the danger of mumps is, how it manifests itself and is treated.

Symptoms of mumps disease in boys

The disease is caused by a virus from the paramyxovirus family and is transmitted by airborne droplets(with small droplets of saliva during a conversation, when sneezing, coughing). The mumps virus infects the glandular tissues of the body, affecting almost all glands - salivary, thyroid, pancreas, genital, lacrimal, etc. First of all, the pathological process begins in the salivary parotid and submandibular glands. Sometimes the mumps virus also affects the central nervous system - mainly the membranes of the brain.

On average, about two weeks pass from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first clinical signs of the disease. But it is worth knowing that a child with mumps is contagious 1 - 2 days before the onset of the disease and for 9 days after its onset. In some cases, the disease occurs in a latent form, without manifesting itself in any way. But still, in most cases, infected boys develop the following symptoms:

• general malaise, lethargy;
• headache;
• decreased appetite;
• increased body temperature;
• sleep disorders;
• the appearance of swelling in the area of ​​the parotid salivary gland (usually initially on one side, and after 1-2 days on the other);
• dryness of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity;
• pain in the ears, aggravated by chewing and talking;
• thirst.

With a strong increase in the parotid glands, the ears in children protrude and the earlobes rise upward. If the virus affects the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands, they increase in size, harden, and become painful.

When the gonads are affected, boys complain of pain in the testicles, radiating to the groin. Soon the testicles increase in size (sometimes 2-3 times), become hard, very painful, and the scrotum swells.

Damage to the pancreas often goes unnoticed, but sometimes symptoms such as:

• girdle pain in the upper abdomen;
• nausea;

If the membranes of the brain are affected, then signs such as:

• severe pain in the head;
• vomit;
• clouding of consciousness;
• excitation;
• convulsions.

Consequences of mumps in boys

If a boy has had mumps and there is damage to the gonads, this may lead to further infertility due to the death of testicular tissue. This is especially true for boys who become infected with mumps during puberty. In addition, various complications are possible when other glands are affected (nephritis, deafness, etc.). Therefore, you should consult a doctor if you have symptoms of mumps in children as soon as possible.

Treatment of mumps in children

In uncomplicated forms of the disease, treatment at home with bed rest is possible. Symptomatic therapy is carried out, mainly with the use of antipyretic and analgesic drugs. During illness, the child should be fed semi-liquid or pureed food, preferably boiled or steamed. A lactic acid diet is recommended. Due to the constant feeling of dry mouth and thirst, children should more often drink water, compotes, fruit drinks. Dry warming compresses are prescribed locally for the inflamed glands.

If there are complications of the disease, treatment in a hospital is mandatory. In this case, hormonal drugs, antibiotics, antispasmodics and other medications may be prescribed. After discharge from the hospital, as a rule, it is necessary to be periodically observed by specialists for some time.

Not all childhood diseases are harmless. Even a seemingly simple infection can cause many long-term consequences in a child. One of these infectious pathologies in boys is mumps.

What it is?

Mumps is an infectious disease. This infection has many names. Basically, they appeared many centuries ago in connection with the appearance of characteristic symptoms of the disease in a sick baby. This pathology is also called “joker” or “mumpy”. Both boys and girls can get this infectious disease. However, long-term consequences of the disease occur, as a rule, in boys.

The disease is viral in nature. The salivary glands are most often involved in inflammatory process. Much less often, other anatomical formations are involved in the process. These include: ovaries and testicles, pancreas, prostate gland and others. The disease can occur in a mild form, as well as in a complicated form.

The prognosis of the disease is conditionally favorable, however, long-term adverse consequences of an infection suffered in childhood may be observed.

The disease is anthroponotic, that is, it is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one. In some cases, the “carrier” of the disease may become the transmitter of the infection. This is a person who does not have any adverse symptoms of the disease, however, he can transmit the infection to healthy people. It should be noted that this type of infection occurs quite often.

Infection occurs mainly by airborne droplets. For infection, only short contact with an infected person is enough. Together with the smallest components of saliva, viral particles quickly enter a healthy body.

Scientists claim that if the carrier of the infection does not have clinical manifestations of the disease, then infection is possible only at a distance of no more than 1.5 meters from him. Quite often, cases of infection are recorded in children playing in the sandbox or in classmates.

There is also a contact-household method of transmission. It occurs in much fewer cases. In this situation, infection occurs through furniture and household items. According to statistics, the contact and household method of infection occurs among children in crowded groups (kindergarten, school, sports clubs, various developmental clubs). It is believed that a sick person is contagious within a few hours from the moment the infectious agents enter his body.

Scientists believe that The body's sensitivity to this infectious pathology is quite high. According to statistics, it is 80-90%. Young children are most susceptible to infection. Most dangerous age- 3-5 years. Doctors note that with the help of vaccination, it was possible to significantly reduce the incidence in children from 2 to 10 years. However, today cases of this disease in children after one year and adolescents have become more frequent.

Babies in the first months of life are practically not susceptible to mumps. This is explained by the fact that they have a fairly high protective titer of antibodies, which they receive from the mother during breastfeeding. At an older age, the baby does not have such immune protection, which contributes to the fact that infection occurs quite easily. Adults, in the absence of vaccination in childhood, are also quite susceptible to this infection.

After suffering from mumps, the child retains lifelong immunity. First, protective immunoglobulins of class M appear in the child’s body, which remain in the blood for 30-60 days. By the end of the first month from the moment of infection, the baby accumulates class G immunoglobulins, which remain in the body for quite a long time, and in some cases for the rest of his life.

How is it developing?

The development of the disease occurs as a result of the penetration of paramyxoviruses, which belong to the RNA class, into the body. The peculiarity of these microorganisms is that they do not have antigenic variants. Scientists note interesting fact, What Monkeys and humans are most susceptible to infection with the mumps virus. In external unfavorable conditions microorganisms can persist for quite a long time. They can be neutralized only with a 1% solution of Lysol or a 2% solution of formaldehyde.

Pathogenic microorganisms enter the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity and oropharynx through contact with a sick person. Over time, viruses spread throughout the body and enter the salivary glands. There they accumulate and multiply. Secondary viremia, the spread of the virus through the bloodstream, also takes part in the development of the disease.

Together with the blood, a huge number of viral colonies can enter the pancreas, central nervous system, and reproductive organs.

The course of the disease may vary. This is largely due to the characteristics of viruses. In some children, all symptoms appear simultaneously, while in others they appear sequentially, gradually increasing. Quite often it happens that only organs are involved in the pathological process reproductive system. Quite common in boys inflammation of the testicles due to mumps, especially in teenagers. The danger of this condition is that as a result of infectious inflammation, necrosis (cell death) of the glandular tissue is triggered.

Symptoms

The first clinical signs of the disease do not appear immediately. The incubation period for mumps is usually 2-3 weeks. Usually at this time the child is not bothered by anything. Body temperature remains within normal limits, symptoms of intoxication are completely absent. It is almost impossible to suspect the disease during this period.

Doctors note cases where the incubation period lasted 8-10 days. The most common symptom of this disease is inflammation of the parotid glands. It is usually accompanied by a sharp rise in body temperature. Its values ​​in most cases reach 38-39 degrees. In some babies, body temperature may rise gradually, but it also reaches fairly high numbers.

Simultaneously with febrility, the child develops intoxication syndrome. It is manifested by increased weakness, fatigue, decreased appetite and various sleep disorders. In children school age Academic performance decreases noticeably because it is much more difficult for the child to concentrate on a particular subject. Breastfeeding babies refuse to breastfeed and eat poorly.

As the disease progresses, the child develops a variety of muscle and joint pain. This is also a consequence of severe infectious intoxication of the child’s body. Sick babies do not sleep well in the middle of the night: they often wake up at night, and during the day they may experience pathological sleepiness.

Typically, inflammation of the salivary gland in the first days of the disease is one-sided. The second side is involved in the inflammatory process 2-3 days after the height of the disease. Upon external examination, swelling is visible in the area of ​​the lower angle of the jaw. In some cases, this swelling extends towards the ear.

So specific appearance child and served as the reason for the common name of the disease “mumps”.

Inflamed salivary glands disrupt the chewing process. While chewing solid food, the child's pain increases noticeably. The baby also experiences significant difficulty swallowing. Examining the child Doctors identify several of the most painful points during palpation. They are localized in the area of ​​the earlobes, at the tops of the mastoid processes, as well as in the area of ​​the mandibular notch. These marker points are named "Filatov's points".

On days 4-5, the sublingual and submandibular glands are also involved in the inflammatory process. Damage to these glandular organs practically does not occur at the very beginning of the disease, but occurs only after a few days. Inflammation of only the sublingual salivary gland with the development of sublinguitis is quite rare. This pathological symptom can be seen when examining the oral cavity. In this case, pronounced swelling and redness are noticeable in the sublingual area.

Inflammation of the sublingual and submandibular salivary glands

Typically, the glandular organs become inflamed during the first week of the disease. The inflammatory process in them is completely completed by the end of 21-27 days from the onset of the disease. This course of the disease is characterized by alternating periods of high and subnormal body temperature. The protracted form of the disease is unfavorable for the development of complications.

Another favorite localization of viruses is the reproductive organs (testes, ovaries, mammary glands, prostate gland). Typically, damage to these organs most often occurs in adolescence. According to statistics, complications of mumps occur in 25% of cases. The most common of them is orchitis. This pathological condition is characterized by persistent disorders in the testicular area, ultimately leading to the development male infertility.

The course of orchitis is quite severe. The child's body temperature rises. Quite often its values ​​reach febrile levels. At the height of the fever, the baby feels severe chills and severe weakness. The testicles involved in the inflammatory process swell, increase in size, and severe pain appears in the area. intimate area. When examining the skin of the scrotum, numerous blood vessels and veins that begin to protrude greatly and become visible for imaging.

Orchitis

Usually the process is one-way. However, there are also bilateral clinical variants of the disease. Typically, swelling in the scrotum lasts about a week, and then gradually begins to subside. A couple of months after the acute period of the disease, the child develops testicular atrophy. They decrease significantly in size, which can be determined by palpation.

There are also other, quite rare forms of the disease. One of these clinical variants of the disease is thyroiditis. It is characterized by the development of infectious inflammation thyroid gland. With dacryocystitis (inflammatory pathology of the lacrimal glands), the child experiences severe lacrimation, pain in the eyes, and swelling in the eyelid area.

One of the rather rare forms of the disease is infectious meningitis and meningoencephalitis.

Characteristic posture of a child with meningitis

Meningitis

Typically, these conditions are registered in children 7-10 days after the onset of the disease. Mumps meningitis is quite severe and requires intensive treatment. To establish such a diagnosis, a spinal puncture is required. Usually, all unfavorable symptoms of mumps meningitis with treatment disappear within 2-3 weeks.

Possible complications

The mild course of the disease has a very favorable prognosis. In this case, the disease disappears completely within a few weeks, resulting in the formation of lasting lifelong immunity. In some cases, this infectious pathology can be very dangerous. This usually occurs when the course of the disease is complicated, as well as when the organs of the reproductive system become involved in the inflammatory process.

Another fairly common complication of mumps is pancreatitis (inflammation of pancreatic tissue). Adverse symptoms of the disease in this pathological condition appear, as a rule, 5-7 days from the moment of infection. Mumps pancreatitis is characterized by the appearance of severe pain in the epigastric region and left hypochondrium, severe nausea and loss of appetite, as well as pathological tension in the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall. This condition has a very unfavorable prognosis, as it often becomes chronic.

Among the complications of this disease, the following pathologies are also found: hearing damage, mumps arthritis, meningitis and meningoencephalitis, primary myocardial fibroelastosis, prostatitis, ophoritis, myocarditis, thrombocytopenic purpura and other systemic diseases. Treatment for these conditions is long-term. Usually, to draw up treatment tactics, it is necessary to resort to a combination of various medicines and auxiliary treatment methods.

Thrombocytopenic purpura

Treatment

A child with mumps should be treated at home. For children attending kindergarten, a forced measure is used to prevent new cases of the disease - quarantine is introduced. Specific therapy for mumps has not been developed. Treatment boils down to prescribing complex therapy aimed at eliminating the unfavorable symptoms of the disease. To prevent complications, it is very important to observe bed rest for 10-12 days.

Doctors use various hormonal drugs to treat mumps orchitis.. They are usually prescribed for 7-10 days. The choice of the drug and its course dosage is carried out by pediatrician. The use of glucocorticosteroids is also indicated for the treatment of mumps meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Rational combinations medicines allow you to achieve positive results and reduce possible long-term consequences of the disease in later life.

To learn what mumps is, watch the following video.

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 time 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 viral etiology, so you can become infected with it through contact with an already sick child. Mumps virus is resistant to change external environment and temperature level. 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. fresh air if any of them are 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:

• headache;
• chills;
• temperature increase;
• 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, weakness, and severe headaches. Fever with mumps is not always observed, but heat(up to 40°C) usually lasts 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 take place 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 last for about 5 days, after which they gradually weaken, 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 urine and blood, but also saliva, as well as secretions; material is collected from the pharynx.

IN last years For diagnostic purposes, immunofluorescence research techniques are increasingly being used, which makes 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 duration of the disease. You do not need to take any medications, except antipyretic and painkillers when needed.

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

The disease itself is not dangerous for the child, but the complications it causes always weaken general health 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 V kindergarten or otherwise 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.

It's not only active image children’s lives, playing sports, carrying out hardening procedures and using all kinds of techniques to strengthen the immune system, but also timely implementation of scheduled preventive vaccinations.

Useful video about mumps in children

I like!

Few people know about such a disease as mumps, but this is only because of the wording. The medical term is not widely used among the people; everyone knows this disease under a simpler name - mumps, sometimes - behind the ears. Mumps is one of the acute viral diseases and affects mainly children between the ages of 5 and 15 years, although sometimes adults also suffer from it. The pathogen affects the salivary glands (especially the behind-the-ear ones, which became the basis for one of the popular names), causing their acute inflammation. This infection has been known for a very long time, the first mention of it was made by Hippocrates, but despite such long story, the person has not acquired innate immunity. IN childhood In most cases, the disease is not severe, but sometimes serious complications occur.

To prevent mumps, there is a special vaccine that is given to children - thanks to it, the risk of infection is reduced to 5%. If the injection was not given, then the likelihood of getting sick becomes very high. After curing the disease, as well as after a preventive vaccination, the body develops stable immunity to the pathogen, which eliminates re-infection throughout life.

First signs of illness

The source of infection can only be a person; the infection is transmitted by conversation (that is, by airborne droplets) during direct contact with an infected person. In medical practice, there have been cases when the pathogen (paramyxovirus) was transmitted through contact with objects (toys, cutlery) on which the saliva of an infected person remained.

Contact with infected children, for example in a kindergarten, can lead to infection

The main danger is that mumps becomes contagious several days before the first symptoms appear, that is, the child feels completely healthy, but at the same time infects other children.

In some cases, mumps occurs with vague, unclear symptoms, and then it is often confused with the onset of a cold. A sick child is not restricted from contact with other children, which can provoke a case of mass disease or, in other words, an epidemic.

A sick child can become infected within an average of a week after the first signs of mumps appear. Susceptibility to mumps is very high, and boys are at greater risk of becoming infected. The seasonality of disease outbreaks is clearly observed - the beginning of spring, the period from March to the end of April.

Once in the body, the virus penetrates the salivary glands, after which it spreads in search of suitable conditions for reproduction. Mumps affects glandular organs and organs nervous system. Typically, damage to the salivary glands occurs first, but sometimes simultaneously with the spread of the virus throughout the body. . The disease develops rapidly, the symptoms quickly increase in intensity. The first manifestations of mumps include:

• a significant increase in temperature (usually up to 39-40 degrees);
• feeling of general weakness;
• refusal to eat due to loss of appetite;
• attempts to open your mouth and speak are accompanied by severe pain in the ear area (the pain may intensify at night, and there may be tinnitus).

Primary symptoms are usually present singly on the first day after the onset of the disease, after which other manifestations of infection appear. A specific symptom of mumps, which usually makes it possible to diagnose the disease during the initial examination, is the formation of a swelling behind the ears, which gradually increases and can spread to the neck. The name "mumps" was given to mumps due to changes in the child's face - the swelling grows, protruding the earlobes forward.

Photo gallery: main symptoms of mumps

Symptoms of mumps in a child depending on the form of the disease

The disease can occur in various forms, on which the specificity of the symptoms shown depends:

• for mild mumps the temperature rise occurs for a short time, and the remaining symptoms are only pain and swelling in the area behind the ears. Often in children the disease occurs this way;
• medium-sized mumps accompanied by longer periods of increased temperature, which often occur with fever. In addition to damage to the salivary glands, other glandular organs become infected, and due to general weakness and sleep disturbances, the baby may experience severe symptoms;

• Mumps, in addition to salivary inflammation, for severe mumps other glands on the body also become inflamed. The likelihood of damage to the nervous system and serious complications increases.

Temperature during mumps should not be the main cause for concern for parents, since it is highly likely to be present all the time until the swelling behind the ears goes away. Worry about elevated temperature It is worth it if it is observed after the condition has normalized. This phenomenon may indicate the development of other inflammatory processes.

Sometimes the disease may be accompanied by a slight sore throat, and damage to the genitourinary system and myocardium is often observed.

When to go to the hospital

It is important to understand that parents cannot independently diagnose mumps, since, despite the specificity of the symptoms, they may indicate another disease. If parents suspect infection, it is recommended to immediately call a doctor at home (due to the high activity of the pathogen, it is better not to take the baby to the children's clinic in order to protect other children).

At the first suspicion of mumps, you should call a doctor at home

Appeal for medical care ensures that the correct treatment is prescribed. Otherwise, if the pathogen is not neutralized, there is a risk of complications that are more dangerous for boys. Mumps can cause inflammation of the testicles, which in 10% of cases leads to infertility. Children are often diagnosed with a complication in the form of serous

Content

People are very susceptible to the virus that causes mumps. The disease is characterized by pronounced seasonality - the peak occurs in March-April. The medical name for mumps is mumps. After recovery, a person acquires lifelong immunity to this disease.

General information about mumps

Mumps is an acute viral disease caused by paramyxovirus. The pathology can only be transmitted by a sick person, and you can become infected from him 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms. Mumps is typical for children, and mumps is 1.5 times more common in boys than in girls. The disease occurs mainly between the ages of 5 and 15.

Due to environmental deterioration, mumps disease has begun to occur in adult women and men almost as often as in children. Paramyxovirus enters the body, affects the tonsils, upper respiratory tract, and then spreads to the salivary glands. The main routes of infection with mumps:

• Airborne. This Main way transmission of the virus when infection occurs in close proximity to a sick person.
• Contact and household. Dishes, toys and other personal belongings of the patient can also be a source of paramyxovirus.

Symptoms

The incubation period of the disease is 10-25 days, more often – 2 weeks. During this time, mumps symptoms do not appear. First, the virus accumulates in the mucous membranes and then penetrates the blood. In adults, 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms, headache, aching muscles and joints, dry mouth, weakness, and chills may appear. For children, such a prodromal syndrome is less typical. Other symptoms of mumps:

• swelling in the projection of the parotid salivary glands;
• pain in the parotid region, worsening at night;
• increased salivation;
• decreased appetite;
• temperature rise up to 40 degrees;
• malaise;
• pain when opening the mouth, swallowing food, chewing;
• dry mouth.

Consequences of the disease

Mumps is especially harmful to children. Some consequences can be fatal. Possible complications diseases:

• pancreatitis (acute inflammation of the pancreas);
• meningoencephalitis;
• acute form of serous meningitis;
• disorders of the central nervous system;
• lesions of the middle ear leading to complete deafness.

Dangers for boys and men

Boys are a particular risk group. How older child, the greater the likelihood of developing complications, including infertility.

Features of the course of the disease in boys:

• In 20% of cases, the virus spreads to the genitals, destroys and affects the spermatogenic epithelium of the testicles.
• The scrotum becomes inflamed and there is unbearable pain.
• Swelling and severe redness soon spread to the second testicle. Atrophy, dysfunction, and then infertility that cannot be treated develop.

Mumps poses the greatest danger to adolescents during puberty. If mumps is not accompanied by orchitis (inflammation of the testicle), then infertility will not occur. According to statistics, about 50% of men who have had bilateral inflammation of the testicles due to mumps become sterile in the future. It is possible to predict whether a boy will be infertile only when he reaches puberty. Orchitis occurs on days 5-8 and is often the only sign of mumps in the stronger sex.

Treatment

Mumps disease in adults and children does not have a specific treatment regimen. Medicine cannot offer options for getting rid of the disease. Doctors only create conditions for a favorable recovery. Main methods of treatment:

• Maintaining bed rest. From the first day, both adults and children should lie down. If bed rest is not followed, complications may occur. The duration of its observance is at least 10 days.
• Diet correction. Fats are excluded from the menu, White bread, pasta, fried foods, marinades, spicy dishes. Foods should be consumed in puree form to make it easier to swallow. The diet should be enriched with vitamins.
• Use of compresses. They are applied to the parotid area. A warm scarf is used for bandaging.
• Gargling. For the procedure, use a weak soda solution - 1 tsp. soda for 1 tbsp. warm water.