Many parents know that after a child suffers from mumps, even if they do not go to the hospital for treatment, and only take some medicine or rest for a few days at home, they will automatically recover. For this reason, they often do not take mumps as a matter of fact. Indeed, mumps is a self-limiting disease that can heal itself, but once complications of mumps occur, it can lead to infertility in the future.
Young people suffering from mumps, beware of infertility!
Mumps is usually divided into viral mumps and suppurative mumps. "Epidemic (viral) mumps is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the virus invading the parotid gland. Usually, a single infection can lead to lifelong immunity. Suppurative mumps is caused by bacterial infection and can be repeatedly infected. Generally speaking, most children suffer from viral mumps, with fewer children suffering from suppurative mumps."
Although both are parotitis and the symptoms are generally the same as judged by ordinary people, there are significant differences in the nature and treatment methods of the two. So, how much do you know about mumps, a disease commonly solved by civil methods?
Viruses Most Likely to Invade Adolescent Gonadas
Although mumps is a self-limited disease, some children may experience complications, such as pancreatitis, parotid encephalitis, myocarditis, orchitis, and oophoritis, because the virus may invade other glandular tissues or even the nervous system of the human body, causing significant harm to the children, and even leaving sequelae or resulting in death in severe cases.
Among them, it is particularly noteworthy that adolescent children are at a developmental stage, when the virus is particularly prone to invading the gonads, leading to ovarian or orchitis. If this inflammation is not treated promptly, it may lead to infertility in the future.
Xu Yi reminds me, "If a child experiences persistent fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, testicular pain, or testicular swelling in the early stages of mumps, it should be brought to the attention of parents. Although few children with mumps experience complications, many parents cannot accurately determine the condition of the child, so it is best to send the child to the hospital and undergo B-ultrasound and blood routine tests if necessary to avoid causing avoidable harm."
Many parents are concerned about what kind of children are prone to complications? In response, Xu Yi explained that on the one hand, the physical condition of the child may be a cause of complications; On the other hand, some children themselves suffer from certain diseases, leading to a decline in their own immunity, allowing complications to take advantage of the situation. "Clinically, I once encountered a child with mumps who suffered from leukemia. Due to his weak immune capacity, he developed multiple complications after suffering from mumps. In fact, the occurrence of complications is not terrible, and many complications can be controlled and cured with the timely intervention of doctors."
Is self medication reliable or not?
Recently, a netizen asked online, "My child has mumps, and the doctor has prescribed a traditional Chinese medicine anti-inflammatory tablet made from Andrographis paniculata. Would you like to consult Mr. Fang, is this useful?". In response, Fang Zhouzi, a famous fighter against counterfeits, responded, "Mumps is caused by viral infection, and most people will heal themselves. In addition to pain relief and fever reduction, foreign countries generally do not provide treatment (and there is no medicine to treat), so do not use traditional Chinese medicine for this reason. Taking traditional Chinese medicine can have side effects instead."
Fang Zhouzi's remarks have caused quite a stir online. Xu Yi does not agree with his view, because for two different types of diseases, epidemic (viral) mumps and suppurative mumps, the treatment methods are not the same, and it cannot be expected that the disease will heal itself. For example, suppurative mumps often requires antibiotics to be injected. "Even if a child has been diagnosed with viral mumps, it is important to ensure that the child does not have other complications in order to properly" let go "and help them heal themselves through diet, rest, and other methods, otherwise there may be more serious consequences.". "Life is precious, and we cannot ignore the possibility of one tenth or one hundredth," Xu Yi emphasized.
As for the statement "Don't use traditional Chinese medicine for this reason", it remains to be discussed. In fact, many rural children who suffer from mumps do not go to the hospital for treatment, but instead use local remedies such as cacti or cactus balls that are beneficial for promoting blood circulation and resolving blood stasis, or take isatidis root and houttuynia cordata. Many doctors also use traditional Chinese medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis when treating viral mumps.
Xu Yi suggested, "It is possible to take appropriate treatment on your own, but it is best to take medication under the guidance of a doctor. Children who are determined to have no complications can heal themselves as long as they cooperate with reasonable daily routines and diet. However, due to parotitis, which can cause local swelling of the face and there is a catheter opening in the parotid gland, children should not eat acidic, spicy, and other stimulating foods to avoid causing severe pain by stimulating the catheter opening."
Why do I still suffer from mumps after receiving a vaccine?
The best way to prevent mumps is to get vaccinated. However, some parents have found out that they have injected their children with mumps vaccine, why do their children still suffer from mumps?
"The current mumps vaccine is targeted at epidemic (viral) mumps. If a child suffers from suppurative mumps, the vaccine does not work at all, because suppurative mumps is caused by bacterial infection and can occur repeatedly. It is not like viral mumps, which can be immunized for life once. Moreover, because the essence of the vaccine is the inactivated mumps virus.". This virus is not as toxic as the virus that people come into contact with in their daily lives. Sometimes, after vaccination, the body does not produce an effective immune response and produces antibodies, thereby failing to have a preventive effect. At the same time, there is also a certain relationship with personal physique.
Although children with mumps need isolation treatment, mumps has a latent period of 2 to 5 weeks. During this period, the symptoms are not obvious, and if the patient is not isolated, the virus can be transmitted to others through droplets. Therefore, once a child at home is diagnosed with mumps, complete isolation should be implemented immediately to ensure that the child can stay alone in a space. Otherwise, frail middle-aged and elderly people in their homes often become the next "host" of the mumps virus.