What are the usual symptoms of mumps?
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- Swelling and pain of one or both parotid glands are the usual main symptoms. (The parotid glands are the main salivary glands. They are just below the ears and you cannot normally see or feel them. The salivary glands make saliva which drains into the mouth.)
- The mouth may feel dry.
- Chewing and swallowing may be sore.
- Fever (temperature), headache, feeling tired and being off food may develop for a few days.
- Mild abdominal (tummy) pain may occur.
The swelling of the parotid glands usually lasts 4-8 days. Mumps is normally a mild illness, but complications sometimes occur. This is why immunisation is important.
There may be no symptoms, or only very minor ones. It is thought that about 3 in 10 people who contract the mumps virus have no symptoms. Rarely, complications alone occur without the usual symptoms occurring first.
The immune system makes antibodies during the infection. These clear the virus and then provide lifelong immunity. It is therefore very rare to have more than one episode of mumps.
What are the possible complications of mumps?
- The testes (testicles) are sometimes affected. One testis may become inflamed, swollen, and painful for a few days. This is uncommon in young children. However, about 1 in 4 males who get mumps over the age of 12 develop a painful swollen testis. Occasionally, both testes are affected. In rare cases this may cause infertility.
- Brain inflammation (encephalitis or meningitis) is an uncommon complication. It typically causes drowsiness, headache, stiff neck, wanting to keep out of the light, and vomiting. Although alarming, meningitis caused by the mumps virus usually clears after a few days without any long-term problems. However, deafness in one ear is a rare long-term problem that can occur.
- Inflammation of the pancreas, heart, and other organs are rare complications.
- If you develop mumps in the first 12-16 weeks of a pregnancy, it may increase the risk of miscarriage. (However, the mumps virus is not thought to cause malformations or defects in an unborn baby.)
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