Mumps

An acute (sudden, shortlived) viral illness that usually presents with inflammation of the salivary glands, particularly the parotid glands. A child with mumps often looks like a chipmunk with a full mouth due to the swelling of the parotids (the salivary glands near the ears). Mumps can also cause inflammation of other tissues, most frequently the covering and substance of the central nervous system (meningoencephalitis), the pancreas (pancreatitis) and, after adolescence, the ovary (oophoritis) and the testis (orchitis). The testis is particularly susceptible to damage from mumps; the damage can lead to infertility. Together with the likes of measles and chickenpox, mumps was once considered one of the inevitable infectious diseases of childhood. Since a mumps vaccine became available in 1967, the incidence of mumps has declined in the U.S., but there are still many underimmunized populations (for example, more blacks than whites have not yet been immunized). Treatment is with rest and non-aspirin pain relievers to ease pain in swollen areas. Rarely, mumps can cause a form of meningitis, in which case hospitalization may be needed. Prevention is by immunization with the vaccine. The origin of the word mumps is not clear. It may have to do with the English usage, now obsolete, of "mump" to mean a grimace. More probably, mumps comes from a colder climate,

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An acute infectious and contagious disease caused by a m. virus of the genus Rubulavirus and characterized by fever, inflammation and swelling of the parotid gland, sometimes of other salivary glands, and occasionally by inflammation of the testis, ovary, pancreas, or meninges. SYN: epidemic parotiditis. [dialectic Eng. mump, a lump or bump]

- metastatic m. m. complicated by involvement of organs other than parotid glands, such as the testis, breast, or pancreas.

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Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System

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mumps 'məm(p)s n pl but sing or pl in constr an acute contagious virus disease caused by a paramyxovirus of the genus Rubulavirus (species Mumps virus) and marked by fever and by swelling esp. of the parotid gland called also epidemic parotitis

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n.

a common virus infection mainly affecting school-age children. Symptoms appear 2-3 weeks after exposure: fever, headache, and vomiting may precede a typical swelling of the parotid gland salivary glands. The gland on one side of the face often swells up days before the other but sometimes only one side is affected. The symptoms usually vanish within three days, the patient remaining infectious until the swelling has completely disappeared, but the infection may spread to other salivary glands and to the pancreas, brain (causing an aseptic meningitis), and testicles (after puberty mumps affecting the testicles can cause sterility). Vaccination against mumps provides effective immunity (see MMR vaccine). Medical name: infectious parotitis.

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(mumps) an acute infectious disease caused by a paramyxovirus called mumps virus, spread by direct contact, airborne droplet nuclei, fomites contaminated by infectious saliva, and perhaps urine; it is usually seen in children under the age of 15, but sometimes in adults. Many cases are subclinical, but in those that are clinically apparent the principal manifestation is parotitis, usually associated with painful swelling of one or both parotid glands and sometimes other salivary glands. Occasionally there may be infection of other organs, with complications such as epididymo-orchitis in males, oophoritis in females, meningoencephalitis, or pancreatitis. Called also epidemic parotitis.

Mumps.