Glossary of Medical and Health Terms

Mumps

Mumps or epidemic parotitis is a viral disease of humans. The word "mumps" originally meant "to mumble", and came to be applied to the disease because of the side effects it causes. Prior to the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide, and is still a significant threat to health in the third world.

Painful swelling of the salivary glands (classically the parotid gland) and fever is the most typical presentation. Painful testicular swelling and rash may also occur. While symptoms are generally not severe in children, the symptoms in teenagers and adults can be more severe and complications such as infertility or subfertility are relatively common, although still rare in absolute terms. The disease is generally self-limited, running its course before waning, with no specific treatment apart from controlling the symptoms with painkillers.

Associated ICD-10 code: B26.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumps

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