Parotitis epidemic

Parotitis epidemic (mumps) is an acute viral infectious disease that affects mainly children under 15 years of age; Characterized by inflammation of the salivary glands and other glandular organs and often the development of serous meningitis.

Etiology, pathogenesis. The causative agent is a virus from the family of paramykooviruses, is unstable in the external environment. Infection is transmitted mainly by airborne droplets. The entrance gate of the infection is the mucous membranes of the nose; Mouth, and nasopharynx. The hematogenous pathogen is entered into various organs, showing tropism in relation to the glandular organs and the central nervous system (mainly the soft meninges). The parotid glands are most often affected, in which periparotite phenomena develop. After the disease, a permanent immunity is created.

Symptoms, course. The incubation period lasts from 11 to 23 days (usually 15-20 days). The disease begins with a rise in body temperature and a painful swelling of the parotid gland, sometimes simultaneously on both sides. Approximately half of the cases involve submandibular and occasionally sublingual salivary glands. In the early days, the swelling increases, and from the 3rd-4th day it decreases simultaneously with a decrease in temperature and usually disappears completely on the 8th-10th day. Suppuration does not occur. Adolescents and young men often develop orchitis (in women - oophoritis); Less often affects the pancreas (acute pancreatitis) and even less often, other glandular organs (mastitis, bartolinitis, dacryocystitis, etc.). A frequent manifestation of the disease is acute serous meningitis (in cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytic pleocytosis, a slight increase in the content of sugar and chlorides). A very rare and dangerous complication is encephalitis or mekgoencephalitis; May damage the middle ear.

In the diagnosis, secondary bacterial mumps, upper limbus lymphadenitis should be excluded, and in the presence of serous meningitis, enterovirus and tuberculosis meningitis. If necessary, use laboratory methods (RSK, RTGA).

Treatment is symptomatic. Locally - thermal procedures, UHF-therapy. With orchitis, pancreatitis and meningitis-treatment according to general rules. In severe orchitis, corticosteroids are recommended.

The prognosis is favorable. Rare damage to the inner ear can lead to the development of persistent deafness. The consequence of bilateral orchitis may be atrophy of the testicles with subsequent disruption of the generative function.

Prevention. The patient is isolated at home for 9 days from the moment of the disease, provided that acute clinical symptoms disappear. Hospitalization is carried out only in cases of severe illness and epidemiological evidence. Children under the age of 10 who were in contact with the patient are subject to disconnection for 21 days. If the contact time is determined precisely, they are not allowed for children's institutions from the 11th to the 21st day from the moment of possible infection. Active immunization with live mumps vaccine is given to children aged 15-18 months at the same time as measles vaccination.