Mumps Differential Diagnoses

  • Author: Germaine L Defendi, MD, MS, FAAP; Chief Editor: Russell W Steele, MD   more...
 
Updated: Feb 6, 2012
 
 

Diagnostic Considerations

Approximately 10% of all infected patients develop a mild form of aseptic meningitis, which clinically can be confused with bacterial meningitis. Encephalitis, transient myelitis, and polyneuritis are rare.

A study investigated the difficulty in definitive mumps diagnosis, noting that only 14% of 2082 cases occurring during an outbreak were laboratory confirmed.[18] The study concluded that the clinical acumen for mumps diagnosis, based solely on clinical presentation, is low.

Conditions to be considered in the differential diagnosis of mumps include the following:

  • Viral pathologies (ie, uveoparotid fever, coxsackievirus, influenza A virus, parainfluenza virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus)
  • Suppurative (bacterial, especially Staphylococcus aureus) or recurrent parotitis
  • Parotid calculus
  • Parotitis (different etiologies)
  • Mixed tumors, hemangiomas, lymphangiomas of the parotid gland
  • Calculus of the Stensen duct
  • Adenitis (cervical lymphadenitis)
  • Mastoiditis
  • Orchitis
  • Epididymitis
  • Ovarian Torsion
  • Mikulicz syndrome
  • Sjögren Syndrome
  • Drug reactions (thiazide diuretics)
  • Allergic reaction (rare)

Differential Diagnoses

Proceed to Workup
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Germaine L Defendi, MD, MS, FAAP  Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center

Germaine L Defendi, MD, MS, FAAP is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Cem S Demirci, MD  Consulting Staff, Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes, Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Walid Abuhammour, MD, FAAP  Professor of Pediatrics, Michigan State University College of Medicine; Director of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Hurley Medical Center

Walid Abuhammour, MD, FAAP is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Russell W Steele, MD  Head, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ochsner Children's Health Center; Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine

Russell W Steele, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Immunologists, American Pediatric Society, American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Louisiana State Medical Society, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, Society for Pediatric Research, and Southern Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Gary J Noel, MD Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College; Attending Pediatrician, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Gary J Noel, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Eileen C Quintana MD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, St Christopher's Hospital for Children; Adjunct Clinical Professor, Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Departments, Temple University Hospital, Pediatric Emergency Dept, Philadelphia, PA

Eileen C Quintana is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mark R Schleiss, MD American Legion Chair of Pediatrics, Professor of Pediatrics, Division Director, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School

Mark R Schleiss, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Pediatric Society, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and Society for Pediatric Research

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Hosseinali Shahidi, MD, MPH Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, State University of New York and Health Science Center at Brooklyn

Hosseinali Shahidi, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American Public Health Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Garry Wilkes MBBS, FACEM, Director of Emergency Medicine, Calvary Hospital, Canberra, ACT; Adjunct Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University; Clinical Associate Professor, Rural Clinical School, University of Western Australia

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Grace M Young, MD Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland Medical Center

Grace M Young, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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