Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.
The diagnosis of mumps is primarily one of clinical acumen. Supportive
laboratory studies are generally done to support the clinical impression. The
purpose of these laboratory studies is to exclude other viruses that may give a
similar clinical presentation as well as exclude very infrequent similarly
presenting illnesses (for example, salivary gland cancer, Sjogren's syndrome, side
effects of thiazide diuretics, etc.).
What is the treatment for mumps in adults and in children?
The mainstay of therapy (regardless of age range) is to provide comfort for
this self-limited disease. Taking analgesics (acetaminophen, ibuprofen) and
applying warm
or cold packs to the swollen and inflamed salivary gland region may be helpful.
What are complications of mumps?
There are four serious complications of mumps: meningitis (infection of the
spinal fluid which surrounds the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis (infection
of the brain substance), deafness, and orchitis (infection of the
testicle/testicles). All three complications may occur without the patient
experiencing the classic involvement of the parotid gland.
Meningitis: More than 50% of patients with mumps will have meningitis, which
may occur during any period of the disease. Generally patients make a full
recovery without permanent side effects.
Encephalitis: Until the 1960s mumps
was the primary cause of confirmed viral encephalitis in the United States.
Since the successful introduction of a vaccination program, the incidence of
mumps encephalitis has fallen to 0.5%. Fortunately, most patients recover
completely without permanent side effects.
Deafness: Preceding the mumps
vaccination program, permanent nerve damage resulting in deafness was not
unusual. While occasionally bilateral, more commonly only one ear was affected.
Orchitis: This complication was the most common side effect (40%) to postpubertal males who contracted mumps. Severe pain (often requiring
hospitalization for pain management) was one-sided in 90% of cases. Between 30%-50% of affected testes atrophied (decreased in size), and 13% demonstrated
impaired fertility. The "common knowledge" of sterility was actually rare.
Previous concerns regarding mumps orchitis and later testicular cancer have not
been proven. (Ovarian involvement occurred in approximately 7% of postpubertal
girls.)
Less frequent complications of mumps infection include arthritis, infection
of the pancreas, infection of the myocardium (heart muscle), and neurological
conditions (for example, facial palsy,
Guillain-Barré syndrome, etc.).
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Low testosterone can affect both men and women. Causes of low testosterone in males include undescended testicles and injury to the scrotum. Low testosterone in females includes ovary conditions. Treatment for low testosterone in men includes testosterone replacement therapy. Currently there is no FDA approved testosterone treatment for women.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
A miscarriage is any pregnancy that ends spontaneously before the fetus can survive. Miscarriage usually occurs before the 13th week of pregnancy. The cause of a miscarriage cannot always be determined. The most common causes of a miscarriage in the first trimester are collagen vascular disease (lupus), hormonal problems, diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and congenital abnormalities of the uterus.
Thrombocytopenia refers to a decreased number of platelets in the blood. There are many causes of thrombocytopenia such as decreased platelet production (viral infections for example rubella, mumps, chickenpox, hepatitis C, and HIV); increased platelet destruction or consumption (for example sulfonamide antibiotics, heparin, blood transfusions, and lupus); or increased splenic sequestration (enlarged spleen due to conditions for example liver disease, blood cancers, and more). Treatment of thrombocytopenia depends on the cause.
Testicular pain, or pain in the testicle or testicles are caused by a variety of diseases or conditions such as testicular trauma, testicular torsion, testicular cancer, epididymitis, and orchitis. Common symptoms of pain in the testicle or testicles are abdominal pain, urinary pain or incontinence, fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the scrotum or testicle. Treatment depends on the cause of the testicular pain or pain in the testicles.
Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious disease that's caused by a virus. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. Treatment focuses on symptom relief. The disease can be prevented with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
Encephalitis is a brain inflammation that causes sudden fever, vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, stiff neck and back, drowsiness, and irritability. Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck.
Septic arthritis, or infectious arthritis, is infection of one or more joints by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Symptoms and signs of septic arthritis include fever, joint pain, chills, swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness. Treatment involves antibiotics and the drainage of the infected joint.
German measles is a disease that's caused by a virus. Symptoms include rash and fever for two to three days. The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine prevents this disease.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
Hearing loss (deafness) may be present at birth or it may manifest later in life. Deafness may be genetic or due to damage from noise. Treatment of deafness depends upon its cause.
Kids get headaches and migraines too. Many adults with headaches started having them as kids, in fact, 20% of adult headache sufferers say their headaches started before age 10, and 50% report their headaches started before age 20.
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