With acute infectious disease, epidemic parotitis (mumps disease), many are familiar firsthand, since they had been ill with her as a child. To a greater extent, the virus is susceptible to preschoolers and schoolchildren (from 3 to 15 years), but it happens that adults also pick it up.
What is a mumps?
This pathology is known for a long time, in the V century its description is found in the writings of Hippocrates. Although the nature of the disease people were able to recognize only in the twentieth century, and the first vaccination was carried out only in 1945. Parotitis is a very contagious infection. The name comes from the Latin "glandula parotidea" - the so-called parotid salivary gland: it inflames when the virus enters the body. Outwardly, such a disease as a mumps can be easily identified. At it the glandular tissue, more often behind ears and on a neck is amazed. The face swells, rounds, like a pig, hence the popular name.
Pig - causes of the disease
The virus of mumps belongs to the family of paramyxoviruses and is not very resistant to external factors, but it can persist at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, and at low temperatures it can last up to six months. The disease is recorded everywhere and throughout the year, peak - winter-spring period. Susceptibility to the virus - 50%. Infection is facilitated by factors such as:
- respiratory diseases;
- weakened immunity;
- high population density.
Pig - how is the disease transmitted?
You can catch the virus only from another person and with prolonged contact. The source is also the carrier and custodian of the infection. For a week and a half before the manifestation of symptoms, the diseased can transmit the virus further, allocate it to the environment, from where it passes through the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx to another organism. Pathogen mumps transmitted through saliva, airborne droplets. Children become infected from each other during joint games, staying in the same room. Infection enters the body of a new victim in several ways:
- at conversation (or other close contact);
- a kiss;
- coughing or sneezing.
Mumps is a child's disease. The most common age of the infected is from 4 to 8 years, although the risk remains up to 15-17 years. At an earlier age, it is more difficult to pick up the virus - the kids protect the mother's immunity for up to a year, i.e. the protective antibodies transmitted by her during pregnancy. Infection in adulthood is possible, but it happens much less often.
Mumps - consequences
The consequences of mumps are not immediately apparent. In the future, it can affect the nervous system and reproductive. Infection affects the salivary glands or glandular organs, such as:
- testicles;
- ovaries;
- prostate;
- pancreas;
- dairy;
- thyroid gland.
The smaller the age of the sick, the lower the probability that serious problems will occur in the future. The mild course of the disease passes without complications. It is possible to worry, when the medium and severe forms have become a mumps disease; the consequences for boys are sometimes the most serious. They will show themselves only in adolescence in the form of orchitis - inflammation of the testicle. Every third young man is affected by the disease, and if the virus struck two eggs at once, it threatens infertility. Especially when the pig was picked up at adulthood. Other possible phenomena after the disease:
- Diabetes. It is possible if parotitis is complicated by pancreatitis.
- Deafness. It happens if the disease affects the inner ear or auditory nerve.
- Syndrome of "dry eye". Rapid drying of the mucous membrane provokes inflammation of the lacrimal glands.
- Decreased sensitivity - if the disease has become a cause of meningitis, inflammation of the spinal cord, the brain.
Can I get mumps again?
Epidemic parotitis is a disease that can not be treated twice. The virus leaves behind a persistent immunity. In the blood throughout life, antibodies continue to circulate, which neutralize the one that has fallen on the mucous virus. Repeated attack will be repulsed. However, the insignificant probability of recurrent disease (from 0.5 to 1%) still remains. The risk rises to 25% after blood transfusions and bone marrow transplantation, when most of the antibodies are eliminated from the body.
Epidemic parotitis - symptoms
Pig - a "noticeable" disease. External signs of the disease can be detected without visiting the doctor, bright signs of mumps are reflected on the face (or other parts of the body). Knowledge of these manifestations helps to react quickly and begin control of the disease in the early stages. This is especially important when parotitis develops in children, the symptoms of which they themselves can not recognize.
Parotite - incubation period
A short time, when the virus got into the body, but the infected does not yet suspect about this, lasts a long time. The incubation period of mumps is 11-23 days; maximum - a month, but on average the mumps manifests itself after 15-20 days. During this time, the infection spreads throughout the body, gets into the blood; the virus actively multiplies on the mucosa. In the last day of the incubation period, the carrier is a danger to others. 1-2 days before the onset of the first symptoms, infectiousness increases.
Epidemic parotitis - the first symptoms
In the so-called prodromal period, the person who picked up the virus begins to feel malaise, weakness. There are muscle, head and joint pain. But it is impossible to say with certainty that this is a mumps: the signs of the disease are not obvious. After 1-3 days of manifestation of these symptoms, there comes a period of manifestations of the ailment, much like a common cold . For example:
- Reddening of the mucous throat, throat, mouth (the main difference from angina). The place of exit of the ducts of the salivary glands is highly inflamed.
- A sharp increase in temperature (up to 40 degrees).
- Pain in the place of the parotid glands.
- Difficulty with eating: it is difficult to chew and swallow, especially food that causes increased salivation.
What does the mumps look like?
Specific signs of the disease begin to actively manifest themselves a few days after the incubation period. The parotid gland inflames, causing an increase in the cheek, a swelling appears in front of the auricle. The uvula protrudes up and forward. The site of the lesion is painful. Due to inflammation of the salivary gland in the mouth, dryness and an unpleasant smell occur. In boys, parotitis can be accompanied by inflammation of the testicle. A week after the pig's disease manifests, the patient is not allowed to contact others, avoiding infection.
Parotitis - diagnostics
In the normal course of the illness, the diagnosis is made at the first examination of the patient. If all the symptoms coincide, it is mumps; mumps represents characteristic external features that are difficult to confuse with other pathologies. However, there are atypical, asymptomatic manifestations of the disease. Then, to confirm its viral nature, the following activities are carried out:
- take a blood test, which should show the virus;
- the antibodies corresponding to mumps are detected;
- Analyzes are conducted to assess the performance of internal organs.
Parotitis - treatment
Disease piggy has no special methods of treatment and drugs. Therapy is prescribed by the doctor after the examination, based on the specific symptoms and severity of the ailment. You can get rid of the disease at home, if you follow the advice of a doctor (he must control the process). Applied types of drugs, such as analgesics, eliminating pain syndrome (Baralgin, Pentalgin) and drugs that reduce inflammation (Tavegil, Suprastin, etc.). When diagnosed as an epidemic parotitis, clinical recommendations are as follows:
- Strict quarantine. From 3 to 10 days after the appearance of the first signs the patient observes bed rest.
- Dietary nutrition - due to inflamed glands, and in addition to preventing the development of pancreatitis, food is semi-liquid, warm. Preference is given to vegetable and dairy products.
- When diagnosed with mumps, treatment in children involves getting rid of colds: gargling with antiseptic solutions, drugs for sore throat and temperature ( Ibuprofen , Paracetamol). I apply dry heat to the inflamed area.
- In some cases, the instructions are special. With orchitis, corticosteroids are used. Problems with the gastrointestinal tract allow the use of preparations of pancreatic enzymes
Epidemic parotitis - complications
If you do not follow the recommendations of the doctor, the course of the disease can be complicated by the development of other pathologies. Some of them are dangerous, but with mumps occur in mild and moderate forms. Depending on which organ made parotite as the target, the complications can be as follows:
- Orchitis. Occurs in 20% of cases in patients with adulthood.
- Oophoritis. He is susceptible to 5% of women who have caught mumps after puberty .
- Viral meningitis. It occurs only in 1% of cases.
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) - the probability of complication of 5%.
- Among the rare, but more serious consequences, encephalitis is an infection of the brain. Pig leads to its development in 1 case of 6000.
Epidemic parotitis - prevention
There are several proven methods to prevent mumps infection: the establishment of quarantine in educational and pre-school establishments and preventive vaccination. The latter is done only for healthy children in order to get immunity to the disease. Vaccination from mumps is a guarantee that the disease will not overtake in adulthood. Enter it twice as part of the tri-vaccine "measles, mumps, rubella" twice:
- In 12 months.
- In 6-7 years.
If the vaccination was not carried out in childhood (parents refused or because of medical reasons the vaccine could not be done), it can be done later. Adolescents and adults receive a preventive injection with the same conditions: they must be completely healthy, do not have diseases of the hematopoietic system. According to individual indications, an emergency vaccination can be carried out. If there was a contact with the patient, the first day or two people put an injection, produced antibodies, and the disease proceeds in mild form.
Pig disease is not considered dangerous. Only in neglected and atypical cases it leads to complications, but they are not fatal and do not require hospitalization (unless encephalitis ). Most of all people are frightened of possible infertility - here the main thing is to start treatment in time. It is easy to cope with the disease if you follow the prescriptions of the attending physician and start the course of therapy in time.