Epidemic parotitis (mumps) is a disease, insidious with its complications.

Almost every parent has seen infectious childhood illnesses in his life practice . Piggy (Epidemic parotitis) is one of such diseases. This is an acutely emerging infectious disease of viral etiology, which affects mainly children before adolescence. Pig is a disease characterized by the appearance of an inflammatory reaction in the salivary glands and other organs that have a glandular structure. Often it is complicated by the development of serous meningitis.

Causes of mumps

Parotitis or mumps is a disease caused by paramyxoviruses, which are very unstable in the external environment. The causative agent enters the body with inhaled air, and also after communication or in the same room with a sick person. Getting into the body, the pathogen penetrates into the nasal mucosa, the oral cavity and the nasopharynx. With blood, it spreads throughout the body, penetrating into internal organs. Particularly sensitive to it are organs that have a glandular structure, and the central nervous system (the membranes of the brain). Most often the virus affects the parotid glands, and patients have a characteristic appearance, with a swollen neck and behind-the-teeth space, which is why the disease is called a mumpskin in the people. The disease in the end leaves a lasting immunity.

Manifestations of the disease

Since the virus enters the body before the first manifestations of mumps, it takes 10 to 24 days (an average of about 15-18 days). The disease begins with a rise in body temperature to febrile digits, the appearance of a prodrome and general malaise. From the same moment there is a painful swelling of the parotid glands. The lesion of the glands can be symmetrical, on both sides, or one-sided. At half of patients in an inflammatory process the salivary glands are involved . In the initial period of the disease, swelling of the glands is increasing, and its decrease is noted only on the 4th-5th day of the illness, simultaneously with a decrease in temperature. The parotid glands acquire their usual sizes on the tenth day of the disease. As a rule, suppuration of glands is not observed.

Mumps in boys May be complicated by orchitis (inflammation of the testicles), in girls and women, oophoritis may occur (inflammation of the ovaries). With a more severe course of the disease, the process spreads to internal organs that have a glandular structure, such as the pancreas, Bartholin glands in women, and the breast. Quite often, endemic mumps develop meningitis. A rare complication is encephalitis and meningoencephalitis. Possible damage to the middle ear.

Pig should be differentiated with secondary mumps bacterial etiology, inflammatory lesions of cervical lymph nodes. In the case of meningitis, meningitis of another etiology is excluded. In doubtful cases, laboratory diagnostic methods are used, such as RTGA, RSK.

Since mumps is a viral etiology, no specific treatment is required. Symptomatic therapy is usually performed. Appoint antipyretic and antihistamines, locally applied thermal treatment, physiotherapy. With the development of complications (meningitis, pancreatitis, etc.), treatment is carried out according to general rules. With orchitis, corticosteroids are used.

The outcome of the disease is favorable in most cases. A rare complication - inflammation of the middle ear - can cause irreversible hearing loss. Postponed disease in boys can lead to atrophy of the testicles and subsequent infertility. Therefore, it is very important to carry out preventive vaccination in childhood.

Preventive measures in the focus of infection

The patient is to be isolated for nine days from the onset of the disease. Inpatient treatment is required in the event of complications and severe mumps. Preschool children, who were in contact with the sick, are separated for three weeks.

In terms of carrying out preventive vaccinations, active immunization is carried out live vaccine for children aged 15-18 months, together with measles vaccination.