Pig - this is the name of an infectious disease, which causes inflammation of the parotid salivary glands. Mumps is an infantile disease, as it affects children between the ages of three and fifteen. It is known that especially epidemic parotitis is dangerous for boys. Let's see why.
Disease of mumps in boys: symptoms
The causative agent of the mumps is a virus that penetrates the body by airborne droplets (through the oral cavity and nasal mucosa). And then, having got into the blood, the pathogen gets into the salivary gland, and thence to the other glands and central nervous system.
The incubation period lasts from 1.5 to 2.5 weeks. Epidemic parotitis in children manifests a general malaise, a decrease in appetite, a rise in temperature to 38-38.5 ° C, in rare cases up to 39-40 ° C. After 1-2 days, the most characteristic of the signs of mumps disease appears - swelling and swelling of the parotid salivary glands. A child may complain of dry mouth and pain near the ear, which is aggravated during chewing or when talking. The area swells near one ear, and near both at the same time. The maximum swelling is achieved on day 3, and then the iron gradually decreases in size.
Parotitis is mild, moderate and severe. At the first, the temperature rises for several days and the lesions of the salivary glands are exclusively affected. The average form of the disease is characterized by a high temperature lasting not less than 1 week, deterioration of the child's well-being, damage to the central nervous system and other glands (pancreas). Heavy parotitis is complicated by loss of hearing, meningitis and orchitis - inflammation of the male sex glands.
Consequences of mumps in boys
The sexual glands in the male body are the testicles. With a complicated form of the disease, mumps in boys is observed to have their inflammation. The testicles turn red, swell, increase in size. There are painful sensations in the sex gland. Usually edema is noted in one testicle, and in a few days - in both. Sometimes orchitis ends in the death of testicular function - atrophy, which is the cause of infertility of the future man.
Epidemic parotitis: treatment
Specific methods of treatment of mumps does not exist. Usually, all measures are reduced to alleviating the patient's condition and preventing the development of complications. The boy is transferred to bed rest if possible in a separate room. In the treatment of mumps in children, a diet is necessary in order to avoid pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas. To bring down the heat will help antipyretic and analgesic drugs. To the affected salivary glands, compresses are applied from the alcoholic solution at a temperature of up to 38 ° C. Because of the constant dryness in your mouth, you need an abundant warm drink - fruit drinks, herbal infusions, diluted juices, weak tea. Epidemic parotitis in children, in the absence of complications, occurs after 10-12 days.
Parents need to constantly examine the testicles of their son. If one or both of the lesions are found, the doctor should be called immediately. Since the inflamed sexual gland brings pain, the child should be given nurofen or paracetamol. Apply compresses, especially warm ones is strictly forbidden, as well as applying creams and ointments. To ease the pain, you can make a supporting hammock of bandages,
How to avoid mumps in children?
If the boy has had a mumps, but no orchitis, there can be no talk of infertility. The older the child, the more difficult the disease is borne. But especially dangerous is the mumps during puberty. In order to avoid this disease with such severe consequences, the prevention of mumps is carried out in the form of mandatory vaccination of children after reaching 1 year and 6-7 years of age.