Mumps: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Mumps is a contagious viral infection caused by the mumps virus, characterized by involvement of the salivary glands, especially the two parotid glands located in front of and below the ears on the sides of the face. When they are affected they swell and become painful, giving the face a characteristic swollen appearance in the cheek and jaw area. The virus spreads easily from person to person through respiratory droplets when coughing, sneezing, or talking, and through sharing items contaminated with saliva.

Mumps symptoms usually begin after an incubation period from exposure to the virus, and may initially include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and loss of appetite, followed by the characteristic symptom of swelling and pain in one or both parotid glands, with pain increasing when chewing, swallowing, or eating sour foods. It is important to know that some infected people, especially children, may have very mild or unapparent symptoms but remain able to transmit the infection. Mumps was very common among children before vaccination spread, and its cases have decreased greatly thanks to the vaccine.

In most cases mumps is a self-limited disease from which the patient recovers on their own within one to two weeks, and treatment aims to relieve symptoms: rest, drinking fluids, fever reducers and painkillers, applying warm or cold compresses to the swollen glands, and avoiding sour foods that stimulate saliva secretion and increase pain. Since it is viral, antibiotics do not help treat it. Although most cases pass safely, mumps may sometimes cause complications worth attention, especially in adolescents and adults, such as inflammation of the testicles in males after puberty, inflammation of the ovaries, meningitis or encephalitis, pancreatitis, and hearing loss. For this reason, vaccination (within the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine given to children) remains the most important and effective means of preventing mumps and its complications.

• Swelling and pain in the parotid glands (in front of and below the ear).
• Fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
• Increased pain when chewing, swallowing, or eating sour foods.
• Symptoms may be very mild while still being contagious.

• Infection with the mumps virus.
• Spread by respiratory droplets and sharing items contaminated with saliva.
• More common in the unvaccinated.

• Diagnosis is often clinical from the characteristic parotid swelling.
• Blood or saliva tests to confirm the virus when needed.
• Assessing complications when their symptoms appear.

Supportive treatment (the disease is self-limited)

• Rest and drinking fluids.
• Fever reducers and painkillers.
• Warm or cold compresses on the swollen glands.
• Avoiding sour foods that increase pain.

Antibiotics do not help because it is viral. This content is educational and does not replace medical advice.

• Inflammation of the testicles in males after puberty, and inflammation of the ovaries.
• Meningitis or encephalitis, and pancreatitis.
• Hearing loss (rare).

• Vaccination (the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine) — the most important means of prevention.
• Isolating the patient and avoiding sharing utensils.
• Hand washing and covering the mouth when coughing and sneezing.