The most common complication associated with mumps is?

VSSC Nursing Officer - 2021

Medical Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: VSSC Nursing Officer - 2021

Explanation

Aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, is the most common complication of mumps when all age groups are considered.
The mumps virus is highly neurotropic, meaning it has a strong affinity for the nervous system. Evidence of subclinical central nervous system (CNS) involvement can be found in over 50% of patients.
Symptomatic aseptic meningitis occurs in up to 10% of unvaccinated individuals with mumps. It typically presents with headache, fever, and a stiff neck but is usually mild and resolves without permanent damage.

Option B: Mastitis, or inflammation of the breast tissue, is a possible complication of mumps in post-pubertal females but is not the most common complication overall.
Option C: While orchitis is a very significant and frequent complication, its occurrence is limited to post-pubertal males. Aseptic meningitis affects all patient demographics (children, adults, males, and females), making its overall incidence higher.
Option D: Oophoritis, or inflammation of the ovaries, is a relatively uncommon complication of mumps, affecting about 7% of post-pubertal females. Its incidence is much lower than that of aseptic meningitis or orchitis.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Complications of Mumps as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a key role in monitoring patients with mumps for signs of complications. This includes assessing for neurological changes (headache, stiff neck, photophobia) indicating meningitis, and in adolescent/adult males, monitoring for testicular pain and swelling (orchitis).
Patient education is vital. Nurses should emphasize the importance of completing the MMR vaccination schedule as the primary method of preventing mumps and its serious complications.
Droplet precautions should be implemented for hospitalized patients for 5 days after the onset of parotitis to prevent nosocomial spread.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key components of the question: the disease ('mumps') and what is being asked about it ('most common complication').
This is a factual recall question requiring knowledge of infectious diseases. All options listed are known complications of mumps.
The critical task is to differentiate the complication with the highest overall incidence from those that are common only in specific subgroups (like post-pubertal males).
Since the question is general and does not specify a patient's age or sex, the answer should be the complication that is most frequent across the entire population.
Recall that mumps has a strong affinity for the central nervous system, making aseptic meningitis the most common complication overall, even though orchitis has a higher rate within a specific demographic.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 p. 1689-1691