Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and More

Mumps is a viral illness that causes flu-like symptoms and swelling of the parotid salivary glands under the ears. This often results in a puffy, swollen appearance in the cheeks and jaw. While most people recover from mumps on their own, some people experience serious complications. 

Before vaccination was common, many people in the United States became sick with mumps. Significantly fewer cases of mumps occur now, but outbreaks sometimes still occur.

Mumps is contagious and has no specific cure, but the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine reduces your risk of getting sick. The MMR vaccine is 88% effective against mumps, and vaccinated people who contract mumps have milder symptoms.

Most people infected with the mumps virus begin to feel ill about 16-18 days after exposure. There are usually two stages of illness, starting with mild, flu-like symptoms and progressing to the swelling of the parotid salivary glands.

Early Symptoms

Early symptoms of mumps may include:

• Low-grade fever
• Loss of appetite
• Headaches
• Muscle pain
• Fatigue

This phase may last a few days before the swelling begins.

Parotitis Symptoms

The most well-known symptom of mumps is a swollen and puffy face, which occurs due to the swelling of the parotid salivary glands under your ears. As the glands swell, they often feel painful or tender.

The swelling can affect one or both sides of your face and distort its appearance. You may not be able to see or feel the outline of your jaw and ears. The swelling typically peaks in the first few days and slowly disappears within one week.

It’s worth noting that the mumps virus causes swelling and inflammation in the lymph nodes, which is why the parotid salivary glands usually swell. It can sometimes also affect the testicles, ovaries, and mammary glands.

Mumps is caused by the rubulavirus, which is part of a family of viruses that also cause parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and measles.

The virus usually spreads through the droplets and germs of an infected person when they cough or sneeze. Some people can also contract mumps by sharing personal items with someone who has the virus or coming into close contact with an infected person, such as through kissing. 

Risk Factors

While anyone can develop mumps, some people have a higher risk than others. This includes:

• Children ages 2-12, especially if they didn’t receive proper immunization
• People who don’t have the MMR vaccine 
• Those who are immunocompromised or live with an autoimmune disorder 
• Pregnant people, especially if unvaccinated 
• International travelers
• Communities living in close quarters, such as children on contact sports teams, young adults living on college campuses, or older adults living in care facilities

If you are in the parotitis phase of mumps and experiencing facial swelling, your healthcare provider may be able to diagnose you after conducting a basic physical examination and learning about your symptoms, vaccination history, and any recent travel. 

Providers can also diagnose mumps by taking a saliva sample from the back of your throat or inside of your cheeks and sending it to a lab to check for the mumps virus. They may also run a blood test to look for mumps antibodies, indicating that you have mumps or were recently sick with the virus.

Mumps is a viral infection, meaning no treatment will cure the illness. Healthcare providers instead focus on relieving symptoms and preventing potential complications. Most people will recover on their own, but there are tips to make yourself more comfortable and allow your body to fight the infection, including:

• Get plenty of rest
• Stay hydrated
• Eat bland and soft foods to reduce the need for chewing
• Take over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, but avoid aspirin if you’re younger than 18
• Use warm or cold compresses for facial swelling
• Try cold compresses and elevation for swollen testicles
• Treat sore throat symptoms by gargling salt water and trying frozen foods like popsicles

The best way to prevent mumps is with the MMR vaccine. Even though it’s not 100% effective, vaccination provides added protection by preventing more severe symptoms and complications in people who get sick.

Vaccination also limits the spread of the virus and protects people in your community who can’t get the vaccine, like very young infants. Its protection usually lasts for life, though it sometimes wanes in older adults.

You can also prevent the spread of mumps by staying home (and, if possible, away from others in your home) if you are sick with the virus. Experts recommend isolating yourself when you are feeling ill and for five days after any salivary gland swelling begins.

In the meantime, it’s important to practice good disease prevention, including frequent handwashing and covering your coughing and sneezing.

Before widespread vaccination, 25-50% of people infected with mumps had complications from the virus. Complications are now considered uncommon, but they can still occur.

The most common complications from mumps include:

• Orchitis: Swelling of one or both testes is fairly common with mumps and can be extremely painful. It can also cause permanent changes to the size of the testes but usually doesn’t affect fertility.
• Pancreatitis: Mumps can cause inflammation in the pancreas, which causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
• Encephalitis and meningitis: Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, and it occurs in about 1 out of every 1,000 people with mumps. Meningitis is inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and occurs in about 1-10% of people with mumps. Both conditions are serious; anyone with mumps experiencing a headache, stiff neck, signs of seizures, or extreme drowsiness should seek urgent medical care.
• Hearing loss: In rare cases, mumps can cause hearing loss in one or both ears, which is often permanent and doesn’t improve with treatment. This is more common in unvaccinated people.

Mumps is a contagious viral illness that causes flu-like symptoms and lymph node swelling, especially in the salivary glands of the face. People who have not received the MMR vaccine, travel internationally, and are immunocompromised have a higher risk of getting mumps. 

Most people infected with the virus will recover on their own, but you can support healing in several ways, including getting plenty of rest and taking OTC pain relievers.