Parotitis treatment

The text is presented for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor. Recommended reading: “Why not self-medicate?”. Treatment of parotitis includes preventing the development of complications, as well as alleviating the symptoms of the disease. Mumps can be epidemic, that is, infectious, or non-epidemic, specific and non-specific, can occur in various forms, with or without complications, in acute or chronic form. Non-infectious parotitis has nothing to do with a viral disease. Occurs in case of injury or prolonged hypothermia, followed by inflammation of the parotid salivary glands.

Viral mumps has no specific treatment, since no drug has yet been developed against the virus that causes mumps.

The process of treatment of mumps can be carried out at home or in a hospital with hospitalization of the patient. The decision on treatment tactics, of course, should be taken only by the attending physician.

Treatment of mumps at home: what is first aid

Many parents are concerned about the question – what to do if the child has signs of mumps? Is it possible to treat children at home on their own, and is it necessary to show the kids to the doctor? Adults who themselves are faced with the disease, too, can not always unequivocally answer the question of whether they should visit a clinic or call a doctor home for an examination.

In fact, a visit to the doctor for a patient with mumps of any age is mandatory. The disease does not always proceed with an open manifestation of symptoms, and not in every case the sick person can understand that dangerous complications begin in him.

First aid at the first symptoms of the disease can determine the severity of its further course. What are the principles of treatment at the first signs of parotitis?

The patient must be provided with rest and bed rest. It is impossible for the disease to be carried on the legs – firstly, the risk of complications increases significantly, and secondly, the sick person will infect others. Quarantine for mumps lasts up to 10 days – during this period, children should not attend kindergarten or school, adults – work or any public events. With severe pain in the inflamed glands, as well as manifestations of fever and high temperature, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Panadol), antihistamines (Claritin, Suprastin), multivitamin complexes (Biomax, Complivit).

In severe cases, with severe intoxication of the body, intravenous detoxification therapy is performed (physiological saline, 5% glucose solution). Typically, this treatment is carried out in a hospital. The text is for informational purposes only. We urge you not to use diets, do not resort to any medical menus and fasting without medical supervision. Recommended reading: “Why you can not go on a diet on your own.” From the first day of active manifestation of symptoms of the disease, the patient is recommended to eat according to the therapeutic diet No. 5 according to Pevzner, which is also relevant for pancreatitis, one of the possible complications of mumps. Sometimes it is necessary to pre-grind the food to reduce the pain when chewing. Plentiful warm drink is recommended (fruit drinks, rosehip broth, weak tea). The diet lasts for 3-4 weeks from the moment of the first manifestation of the disease, bed rest must be observed for 10-12 days, until recovery occurs. Approximately 75% of those infected who did not adhere to these requirements developed complications of mumps.

The patient is forbidden to use:

• meat, fish, mushroom broths;
• fatty meats, fish, poultry;
• fatty dairy products;
• radish, sorrel, radish, onion, garlic, fresh cabbage;
• smoked products;
• milk;
• pickled foods;
• spicy, fried, fatty, salty foods;
• alcohol and coffee;
• chocolate, fresh pastries, biscuits.

The menu may contain cereals (except corn), pasta, low-fat boiled or baked meat, fish, steamed vegetables, low-fat dairy products, no more than 1 egg per week, biscuits, homemade compotes, weak tea, marmalade, marshmallows, honey, marshmallow.

It is important to maintain oral hygiene – in addition to the usual brushing of teeth, which, by the way, can be very painful in the acute period, the infected person needs to rinse the mouth 2-3 times a day with disinfectant solutions. For these purposes, an aqueous solution of chlorhexidine can be used – of course, it is not the most pleasant in taste, but it has a pronounced bactericidal effect.

There is no treatment directed directly at the pathogen. Specific hyperimmune serum, which was previously used for patients, did not have the proper positive effect on the likelihood of complications.

Hospitalization and inpatient treatment for mumps

Most patients with mumps are treated on an outpatient basis. Hospitalization is necessary for patients who have developed complications, especially for young children and pregnant women, as well as for epidemiological indications. Most often, when the mumps virus enters the bloodstream, glandular organs are affected: the pancreas (acute pancreatitis), testicles in men (orchitis), ovaries in women (oophoritis). The most serious complications of mumps in men are priapism and infertility. When the virus enters the brain, meningitis may develop. In rare cases, people who have had mumps develop hearing loss or total deafness.

All recommendations regarding bed rest and diet are relevant for those patients who receive treatment in a hospital. Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs are also used if necessary, since in general the treatment is symptomatic, that is, it is aimed at getting rid of unpleasant symptoms.

Specific drugs are added to the general treatment regimens, which are aimed at combating complications. With orchitis, prednisolone and other corticosteroids are prescribed to stop the inflammatory process.

Corticosteroid drugs are also used for meningitis – it can be prednisolone and dexamethasone. The drugs are administered intravenously. To reduce the temperature, the patient may be prescribed Paracetamol, Analgin, Ibuprofen.

Intramuscular administration of nucleases for the treatment of mumps meningitis is not advisable, since the effectiveness of this method has not been proven.

To diagnose meningitis, a patient may undergo a lumbar puncture procedure with the extraction of some amount of CSF.

If it is necessary to restore the water balance, patients undergo rehydration therapy. Acute pancreatitis necessarily requires a strict diet, in the first few days only liquid food is allowed, and for pain syndrome, antispasmodic therapy is performed. If vomiting occurs, antiemetic drugs are connected to the treatment, and to correct hyperenzymemia, infusions of proteolytic enzymes, such as Gordox or Contrical, are carried out. In addition, antihistamine and immunomodulatory therapy can be used.

After normalization of body temperature, the attending physician may prescribe physiotherapeutic procedures for the area of ​​​​inflamed glands, for example, UHF or UVI.

With meningitis and orchitis, bed rest in a hospital should last at least 2-3 weeks.

Features of drug therapy for mumps

Medical products (drugs, medicines, vitamins, medicines) are mentioned for informational purposes only. We do not recommend using them without a doctor’s prescription. Recommended reading: “Why can’t you take medications without a doctor’s prescription?”. It has already been noted above that there is no specific therapy for mumps, and treatment is symptomatic.

Several groups of medicines are used in the process:

• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory;
• corticosteroid;
• desensitizing;
• analgesics;
• enzyme preparations;
• antibacterial agents.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs weaken the inflammatory process, effectively reduce the temperature. Ibufen, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Ketoprofen are used. It is not recommended to combine them with corticosteroid drugs. Duration of admission – from 5 to 12 days. Tablet and injection forms are used, depending on the patient’s condition. Contraindications for this group may be peptic ulcer of the stomach or intestines in the active stage, internal bleeding, the last trimester of pregnancy, bleeding disorders, heart failure.

Corticosteroid drugs are used to treat complications such as meningoencephalitis and orchitis. For such conditions, corticosteroids have the most pronounced therapeutic effect. Duration of application can last up to a month. Often there are side effects from the nervous system (psychosis), endocrine, as well as metabolic and nutritional disorders. Contraindications may be specific conditions such as galactosemia or lactase deficiency. With great care, they are prescribed to patients with diseases of the digestive tract, heart, blood vessels, endocrine pathologies.

Desensitizing drugs (Tavegil, Erius, Suprastin) are prescribed during the entire acute period (5-14 days), also with a symptomatic purpose, to reduce the toxic viral effect on the body. Do not apply in patients with peptic ulcer of the stomach and intestines, with acute attacks of bronchial asthma, with arrhythmia and acute heart attack. Often have a sedative effect, contribute to an increase in intraocular pressure, the appearance of arrhythmia and tachycardia.

Analgesics, such as Pentalgin, Analgin, Baralgin, are prescribed for severe pain in case of complications (meningitis, orchitis, pancreatitis). The duration of admission is determined by the general well-being of the patient. It is not recommended to use for asthma attacks, kidney and liver failure, kidney disease. May cause allergic reactions, as well as a decrease in blood pressure and tachycardia.

Enzyme preparations are intended for patients with acute pancreatitis, only after compensation for an acute condition, to facilitate pancreatic function during the recovery period. These include drugs such as Creon, Festal, Pancreatin. Taken with meals, two or three times a day. Side effects can be allergic reactions, as well as digestive disorders.

Antibacterial drugs are prescribed for bacterial complications against the background of a severe course of mumps. Therapy may include antibiotics of the penicillin group (Penicillin, Amoxicillin), with an allergic reaction to this group, antibiotics of the macrolide group (Azithromycin, Rovamycin), or the fluoroquinolone group (Tsiprolet) are prescribed. Adverse reactions during antibiotic therapy can be: skin rash, nausea, vomiting, constipation. Usually not prescribed to pregnant women, except in extreme cases. The duration and regimen of administration is developed by the attending physician in each case.

X-ray therapy for the treatment of mumps

In cases where a patient has developed acute postoperative parotitis after major surgery, trauma or bleeding, radiation treatment of inflammation can be effective, especially in the early stages and as an emergency for the patient. Radiation method using radioactive iodine is used in combination with antibiotic therapy.

During the procedure, the parotid gland is irradiated with an acceptable dose, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and is 1.5 – 2.5 Gy. One session is carried out every 3-4 days, in total the course consists of 3-4 procedures. The course must be urgently interrupted if signs of suppuration are observed in the process. An increase in the inflammatory response is not always an indication for the completion of radiotherapy, but the dose in this case should be reduced. Radiation therapy, as a rule, allows you to quickly reduce the inflammatory process, relieve pain and normalize the temperature.

Surgical intervention

Surgery is indicated in cases where the patient develops clinical signs of extensive purulent parotitis. The operation is performed under general anesthesia in two stages. During the first intervention, the surgeon removes the accumulation of pus. At the second transverse section of the gland tissue, the abscess is similarly cut, the sections are connected to each other, drainage is introduced into the wound. A complication of the operation may be paresis of the branches of the facial nerve, if during the process they were allowed to stretch during the expansion of the wound channel. The patient is prescribed antibiotic therapy, as well as detoxification drugs, in addition, the requirements of surgery imply periodic washing of the wound with antiseptic drugs through drainage.

Approaches to treatment at home

In the case of a mild course of the disease, if the patient does not develop complications, mumps is treated at home, without hospitalization. At the same time, the drug treatment scheme is developed by the doctor, and also consists in the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, antipyretics and painkillers. In addition to traditional treatment, compresses, infusions, and mouthwashes may be recommended for infected people at home. Such measures provide relief of pain, fever and chills, and also help to reduce the inflammatory process in the oral cavity.

Compresses for mumps

It is allowed to apply a warm cloth bandage to the area of ​​​​inflammation behind the ears. Also, to reduce inflammation, it is recommended to make a vodka compress, or apply a bandage with sunflower oil. Treatment with folk remedies also involves the application of a bandage with ichthyol ointment. Compresses and dressings are allowed only after the temperature has normalized.

You can make a compress from flaxseed: 100 grams of the seed is poured with 100 milliliters of boiling water, put on a slow fire, evaporated in an enamel bowl until a thick slurry is formed. After cooling, the product is transferred to a glass jar, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, and the jar is closed with a lid. Porridge cakes are directly applied to the inflamed glands.

Infusions of medicinal herbs

Treatment for mumps may include ingestion of herbal infusions. In addition to the fact that with mumps it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids, medicinal infusions help reduce inflammation and reduce temperature.

An infusion of linden flowers is prepared in this way: a tablespoon with a slide of dried flowers is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for half an hour, filtered and drunk in half a glass before meals.

For infusion of primrose, take a spoonful of dry grass, pour 200 milliliters of boiling water, insist for 30 minutes, filter. Take on an empty stomach half a glass in the morning and evening.

Sage infusion is prepared in the same way. It can be drunk in a quarter cup 3-4 times a day before meals. They also rinse the mouth and throat.

Mouthwash solutions

For gargling the throat and mouth, you can use drugs such as Miramistin, Chlorhexidine, Octenisept. You can also prepare decoctions of medicinal herbs, for example, an infusion of chamomile with sage. To do this, take one tablespoon with a slide of dried herbs, pour 400 milliliters of boiling water, insist for half an hour, and then filter. You can rinse your mouth with this solution 3-4 times a day, after meals.

In general, the regimen of a patient with parotitis at home implies the obligatory observance of diet No. 5, bed rest, and taking multivitamins. The doctor may also recommend immunomodulatory, strengthening drugs.

Patient care involves periodic ventilation of the room, disinfection of household items of the sick person, his underwear and clothes.

If mumps is suspected: who to contact

If a child falls ill, it is necessary to show it to the pediatrician. If necessary, the pediatrician will refer the sick child to an infectious disease specialist or other specialist for examination. An adult needs to see a therapist. In addition, a virologist, infectious disease specialist, and immunologist can provide assistance. Men will probably need to see a urologist.

The main principles of treatment of any type of parotitis are timely access to a doctor, strict adherence to all medical prescriptions, diet and bed rest. Of course, a timely vaccination is an almost complete guarantee that the disease will proceed in a mild form without dangerous consequences.

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