Understanding Mumps and Its Impact on Health

There are countless viruses in the world that can affect your health; some of these viruses cause symptoms of mild to moderate severity, while others, such as the mumps can become a serious problem. These viral infections are contagious in nature and can spread quickly in favourable conditions.      
Mumps can cause swelling of the jaw, loss of appetite, and affect infertility in males in worst case scenarios. Let’s understand what mumps is and how it is diagnosed among other things.

What Is Mumps?

Mumps is a viral infection and typically, it affects one or both of the salivary glands situated in the upper neck, beneath the ears. Mumps arrives with fever, headache, body ache, fatigue and eventually causes the glands to become tender and visibly inflamed.      
It is not necessary for a person to have salivary glands to get this infection. This viral infection lasts for about a week or 10 days and requires no particular treatment. Since it is caused by a virus, it gets better with rest and time. Most people with mumps recover completely from the condition within 2 weeks.

Who Does Mumps Affect?

Mumps usually affects children and teenagers, although certain adults with low immunity may also contract the disease.

Mumps is more likely to affect children who go to school or college and healthcare providers. This is because such people are constantly in close contact with infected people.

Additionally, people who are travelling to areas where mumps is common or there is an active outbreak are likely to get infected with the disease.

What Are the Symptoms of Mumps?

It can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks for the signs of mumps to appear as people with mumps don’t fall sick immediately after contracting the virus.

Early mumps symptoms may be similar to symptoms of common flu and include the following:

• Fever
• Muscle ache
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Headache 

Mumps symptoms can include: 

• Tender, swollen jaw 
• Puffy cheeks 
• Pain around the swelling 
• Swelling of the glands below the mouth floor (less common)

What Are the Causes of Mumps?

Mumps is called by the mumps virus. This virus is usually present in the saliva of the infected person, and whenever they cough or sneeze, small droplets of saliva can become air borne. One can get the infection by breathing in these tiny droplets or by kissing or sharing food or beverages with an infected person. 

How Is Mumps Diagnosed?

In order to diagnose mumps, a doctor looks at your symptoms and whether you have been exposed to the infection in the recent history or not. A urine sample or saliva sample will be checked for the virus if the doctor suspects you may have mumps infection. Additionally, the doctor may also recommend some blood tests to check for the indicators of an infection and the presence of antibodies to fight off the mumps virus.

What Are the Treatment Options for Mumps?

There is no cure for mumps in adults or children; the mumps treatment is usually focused on relieving the pain, discomfort, and other symptoms with the help of pain medication and plenty of fluids.

People who have been diagnosed with mumps are advised to do the following to recover quickly:

• Rest as much as possible (bed rest for the first few days after the symptoms appear)
• Use pain relievers prescribed by the doctor
• Use ice packs over the swollen area
• Consume plenty of fluids
• Eat soup, yogurt, and other foods that won’t be difficult to chew
• Avoid acidic foods and beverages

How Mumps Spreads?

As mumps is contagious condition, it can spread rapidly through direct contact with an infected person’s saliva or tiny droplets from their nose or throat. Mumps can spread in the following ways:

• Coughing, talking in close proximity, or sneezing
• Sharing water bottles, cups, or other food items
• Playing sports, kissing, dancing, or other close-contact activities

Infected people usually become contagious and can spread the virus a few days before swelling in their salivary glands occurs. They can keep spreading it until up to 5 days after the swelling has begun.

Can Mumps Be Prevented?

Mumps vaccine is used to prevent the spread of the disease. However, people who have been vaccinated against mumps may still get the infection. However, such individuals experience milder symptoms and less frequent complications than those individuals who haven’t been vaccinated against mumps yet. Mumps vaccine is available in a combination vaccine of MMR that provides protection against measles, mumps, and rubella. The MMR vaccine is usually administered to babies as a part their necessary vaccination schedule, but adults who haven’t had the vaccination can get it after consulting with their doctor.

Adults with mumps are recommended to stay at home for at least 5 days after the salivary glands begin to swell to prevent the spread of the disease. Children with mumps are recommended to stay at home a little longer till the symptoms have reduced significantly. But it is advisable for both adults and children with mumps to limit their contact with other to minimise the spread of the virus.

Practising good hygiene also plays an important role in preventing its spread. Thorough handwashing and covering the mouth while sneezing or coughing are some things one can practise.

Most people who have been infected with mumps once in their life rarely contract the infection a second time.

What Are the Complications Associated With Mumps?

Mumps infection can lead to complications in people who haven’t been vaccinated. Complications of mumps can arise when the virus reaches other areas of the body; here are some of the possible complications of the mumps infection:

• Orchitis

  Orchitis or swollen testicles can occur as a result of mumps infection after the male has crossed puberty and it cause severe pain. Swelling in the testicle may affect a male’s fertility.

• Swollen Ovaries

  Also known as oophoritis, swollen ovaries is another complication of mumps. This condition can cause upset stomach, fever, vomiting, and pain. Females who contract mumps after puberty are more likely to get affected with this complication than females who get mumps infection before puberty.

• Encephalitis

  One of the most severe complications of mumps infection is inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis may damage brain tissue and cause seizures, loss of muscle control, and changes in consciousness.

• Meningitis

  Meningitis is the swelling or inflammation of the meninges—the protective membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis may include head, fever, and stiffness in the neck. This complication of mumps usually doesn’t cause any long-term problems.

• Pancreatitis

  Mumps may affect the pancreas and cause swelling in the organ. Symptoms of pancreatitis include pain or tenderness near the stomach, fever, and vomiting.

• Hearing Loss

  Hearing loss due to mumps can occur suddenly or gradually over time. However, this complication of mumps usually resolves on its own as the person gets better.

• Miscarriage

  If a pregnant woman gets infected with mumps during the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy, she has an increased risk of experiencing a miscarriage.

• Mastitis

Mastitis means the inflammation of the breast tissue. Females with mumps may develop this complication.

Can Mumps Cause Infertility?

Mumps can sometimes affect other glands in the body, namely the nervous system and the testicles. One of the most common complication of mumps is testicular inflammation. This inflammatory condition, medically called orchitis, affects boys (who have been through puberty) or adults. Orchitis generally affects just one testicle but can affect both testicles in about 1 in 6 men. This is the reason why mumps causes male infertility.

Orchitis caused due to mumps becomes noticeable in the first week of contracting the disease. The scrotum swells up causing intense pain, and the scrotal skin turns red in colour indicating infection. Pain usually disappears within 5 days but there could be testicular shrinkage. Studies suggest that anti-sperm antibodies may be the factor that negatively impacts male fertility in such cases. In rare cases, mumps induced orchitis may cause sterility.

Mumps can lead to oophoritis in females or lead to miscarriage in pregnant women when they contract the infection in the early phases of their pregnancy.

When to See a Doctor?

You are advised to see your doctor if you have noticed mumps symptoms in yourself or people around you have been diagnosed with the condition. Mumps can easily spread in the 5 days after the swelling has started.

The following symptoms warrant urgent medical attention:

• 103°F or higher fever
• Difficulty eating or drinking
• Disorientation
• Stomach ache
• Pain and swelling in the testicles (for males)

Takeaway

Although majority cases of mumps will not lead to infertility, the infection can cause orchitis or oophoritis, which may cause difficulty in conception. If you have been diagnosed with mumps-induced orchitis or oophoritis, the risk of infertility is reasonably low and permanent infertility is very unlikely. However, if you are concerned about the possibility of being affected with these complications or unsure of having had the vaccine, consult a doctor. You can book a consultation with a fertility specialist at the best IVF clinic near you by Nova IVF Fertility.