Clinical Characteristics of Mumps in Postpubertal Age

Yeom, Joon Sup; Moon, Yoon Jae; Kim, Eun Sook; Choi, Young Hwa; Song, Young Goo; Kim, Eung; Kim, June Myung

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mumps is a generalized viral infection that usually occurs in school-aged children and young adults, characterized by nonsuppurative swelling and tenderness of salivary glands. Mumps in postpubertal person is usually a more severe and commonly associated with extrasalivary gland involvement. This study was undertaken to analyze clinical characteristics of mumps in postpubertal person in Korea.
METHODS
Forty-four cases of mumps, diagnosed during March 1983 to February 1995 in Severance hospital, were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Since the end of 1980's, mumps seemed to resurge among postpubertal persons, mainly during the winter and spring. The majority of patients were under 25 years old. Parotitis was developed in all 44 cases. Sixty-five percent of male patient suffered orchitis accompanied by high fever(>38.5degreeCC). Meningitis occurred in 18% of cases. Average hospital stay was 6.3 days. All cases were cured without any sequelae.
CONCLUSION
Mumps was more severe and extrasalivary gland involvement was common in postpubertal person than in children. Occurrence of high fever during the course of illness may indicate development of orchitis. Therefore, MMR vaccination should be performed in nonimmunized postpubertal persons. Additionally, booster immunization should be considered in immunized postpubertal persons.