Mumps: The Daily PANCE Blueprint
A 7-year-old male presents with fever, malaise, and bilateral swelling in front of his ears. There is no purulent discharge from Stensen’s ducts. What is the most likely cause?
A. S. aureus infection
B. Mumps virus
C. Salivary gland stone
D. Sjögren syndrome
E. Parotid neoplasm
The answer is B. Mumps virus
Parotitis is inflammation of the parotid gland. Symptoms include otalgia, neck or jaw swelling, local pain, and redness. Viral parotitis is most common in children and includes mumps, influenza A, Epstein-Barr virus, parainfluenza, and adenovirus. Acute bacterial parotitis presents with unilateral pain, fever, erythema, and purulent discharge from Stensen’s duct. The most common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus and anaerobes. It often occurs in patients with poor oral intake, hygiene, or salivary stasis. Other causes include autoimmune disease (Sjögren syndrome, bilateral with xerostomia), juvenile recurrent parotitis (unilateral, ages 3–6, resolves by puberty), obstructive sialadenitis (stones or strictures), and rarely neoplasms. Management is cause-specific: viral cases require supportive care, while bacterial cases need antibiotics and sometimes surgical drainage.
Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:
Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Infectious Disease ⇒ Viral Infectious Disease ⇒ Mumps