A physician should be contacted immediately if mumps is suspected, particularly in a young child. Mumps is usually diagnosed by a physician during a physical examination that includes a medical history. Patients may be expected to describe their symptoms.

A physician can usually diagnose mumps based on the symptoms being experienced by the patients. However, in some cases, a physician may perform a virus culture or blood test to confirm the diagnosis. A blood test can detect mumps antibodies, which indicates whether there has been a recent or past infection.

There is no cure for the mumps virus. Therefore patients must let the virus run its course. Most children and adults recover from mumps within two weeks.

A number of steps may be taken to relieve the symptoms associated with mumps. They include:

• Rest in bed until fever subsides.
  
  
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce fever and ease pain and swelling. Aspirin should not be given to children because it has been linked to Reye's syndrome (a potentially fatal disease that affects the brain and other organs).
  
  
• Use either warm or cold compresses to ease pain due to swollen glands.
  
  
• Wear athletic supporters to ease pain caused by tender testicles.
  
  
• Avoid foods that require a lot of chewing. Instead, patients should have broth-based soups or soft foods, such as mashed potatoes or cooked oatmeal.
  
  
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Avoid drinking tart or acidic fruit juices (e.g., orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade). Water and tea are better choices.

Patients with mumps should be isolated from others to prevent spread of the virus. Individuals experiencing abdominal pain should be monitored closely because it may indicate inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) in both sexes or inflammation of the ovaries (oophoritis) in females. Males with high fever and swelling of the testicles should be monitored closely because it may indicate inflammation of the testicles (orchitis).

• Stiff neck
• Persistent vomiting
• Convulsions (seizures)
• Extreme drowsiness
• Severe headache
• Changes in consciousness