How to Differentiate and Diagnose Mumps?

Update Date: 2024-05-16 Source: Network

Mumps is a type of infectious disease caused by the mumps virus, which can lead to parotid gland enlargement and parotitis. In addition, mumps can invade other tissues of the body, causing meningitis, oophoritis, and pancreatitis. The method of diagnosing mumps is through detecting its symptoms, as different symptoms indicate different infectious factors of mumps.

Epidemic mumps is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the mumps virus, clinically characterized by non-suppurative inflammation of the parotid glands and pain and swelling in the parotid region. It mainly occurs in children and adolescents. Apart from affecting the parotid glands, the mumps virus can also invade the nervous system and various glandular tissues, causing meningitis, encephalomyelitis, orchitis, oophoritis, and pancreatitis.

The differential diagnosis of mumps is as follows: Firstly, it needs to be distinguished from suppurative mumps, which is mainly characterized by unilateral parotid gland enlargement without orchitis or oophoritis. When the parotid glands are compressed, pus may flow out from the parotid duct, and the total number and count of neutrophils in peripheral blood increase significantly. Secondly, it should be distinguished from other viral mumps caused by influenza A virus, parainfluenza virus, coxsackievirus A in intestinal viruses, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Differential diagnosis is based on serological tests and virus isolation. Thirdly, it needs to be distinguished from parotid gland swelling caused by other reasons. Many chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic liver disease, sarcoidosis, malnutrition, and parotid duct obstruction, can lead to parotid gland enlargement. These conditions are generally not accompanied by acute infection symptoms, and there is no obvious pain or tenderness locally.