Dorothy FarrarRubella
Rubella is a contagious infectious disease. Worldwide, there are about 300,000 cases of illness per year. Rubella often occurs in childhood. Because the patients are then immune to a new infection for life, rubella is also referred to as a childhood disease.
What is rubella?
Rubella is transmitted by the spherical rubivirus. This belongs to the togavirus family.
However, there is a particular danger for pregnant women: Rubella can damage the inner ear, heart, eye and other organs in embryos and trigger premature or stillbirths and disabilities. Therefore, vaccination against rubella is recommended in Germany.
Rubella can cause a number of symptoms, but in 50% of cases, people also have an infection without typical signs. The symptoms are often similar to typical cold symptoms. After two to four weeks after infection, the typical red skin spots (exanthema) may appear.
Since there is lifelong immunity after surviving infection, rubella is one of the so-called childhood diseases. Compared to other diseases, however, only 15 to 50% of the contact persons of patients are infected with rubella (low contagion index).
Causes
Rubella is transmitted when talking, coughing or sneezing (droplet infection). So there is almost always contact with an infected person beforehand.
The pathogen (rubivirus) penetrates through the mucous membranes and then multiplies in the lymphoid tissue. From there, it spreads throughout the body via the bloodstream.
In pregnant women, it can also spread to the embryo or fetus through the placenta and leave severe damage there up to death (rubella embryofetopathy).
After infection with rubella, it takes about 14 to 21 days for the infection to break out (incubation period). However, there is also a risk of infection one week before the outbreak and up to a week after the outbreak of rubella.
Symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of rubella:
Rubella appears at the beginning with only mild symptoms. The swell, mucous membranes become inflamed and mild fever may occur. In addition, cold-like symptoms may occur, such as headaches, coughs, runny noses and fatigue. At this stage, rubella can easily be confused with other childhood diseases such as scarlet fever or measles.
After a short time, a rash develops, starting behind the ears, which quickly spreads over the whole body. This Rash (exanthema) consists of small reddish patches that have little to no itching and fade after two to three days until they are completely gone. In the rash phase, the swollen lymph nodes begin to hurt and become a little thicker than before. The risk of infection is also particularly high during this time.
Rubella is transmitted by droplet infection, i.e. by secretion droplets in the air we breathe. After the rash has subsided, the general symptoms of rubella also improve and the risk of infection decreases.
Rubella usually progresses without complications. Around 50% of children go through the disease largely without symptoms. In adults, however, rubella can also cause complications, such as inflammation of the brain, heart or pericardium, as well as joint or ear infections. Once you have had the disease, you are immune to it for life.
When to the doctor?
Parents who notice a suspicious rash in their child should see the pediatrician the same day. Initial symptoms such as the typical skin changes and fever must be examined by a doctor. It may be due to measles or scarlet fever, which, like rubella, should be treated with medication.
If there is a concrete suspicion of rubella infection, the pediatrician should be consulted immediately. This is also necessary if the child has already suffered from rubella. Adults also need to be checked for signs of rubella.
Pregnant women who have had contact with someone who has rubella should consult their gynecologist. Rubella is also treated by the general practitioner or an internist.
If the disease is severe, hospital treatment may be necessary. This applies in particular to severe fever or impaired consciousness. In these cases, the medical emergency service must be contacted. An emergency situation, such as when the child is no longer responsive or has a high fever, is a case for the emergency services.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of rubella should only be made by a competent doctor. It can be provided by the family doctor, no visit to a specialist is necessary. A diagnosis of the disease via the external symptoms (e.g. on the basis of the typical rash) is not possible, as these strongly resemble symptoms of other diseases such as A diagnosis of the disease based on the or scarlet fever. Therefore, the pathogens must be identified directly. To do this, the doctor will take a blood sample from the patient, which will then be examined in the laboratory. If you come across antibodies against the disease that the body has already formed, it is rubella. It may even be possible to detect genetic material (RNA) of the viruses.
This detection is particularly recommended for pregnant women who show typical symptoms of rubella. The pathogens can be detected by examining the amniotic fluid or by taking a direct blood sample from the unborn child. Since this examination can be extremely risky, it should definitely be carried out by an expert (gynaecologist).
Complications
Rubella rarely causes serious complications. In adults, severe inflammation, vascular damage and organ damage can occur if the disease is not treated or only inadequately treated. The older the patients are, the greater the risk of serious complications. Pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system or an existing illness also have an increased risk of subsequent health damage.
A typical complication is an ear infection. This causes hearing problems, pain and dizziness. Joint inflammation can also occur and limit the mobility of the affected body parts.
In one in 6,000 cases, the brain becomes inflamed, which can be fatal. Inflammation of the heart muscle or pericardium is more common. Furthermore, vascular damage can occur. Then there is bleeding under the skin and occasionally also sensory disturbances and pigment changes.
In pregnant women, the pathogen can spread to the child via the placenta and cause serious developmental disorders. It can cause eye deformities, deafness, heart defects and mental impairment, among other things. There is also an increased risk of premature birth or miscarriage. Early treatment of rubella can prevent the spread of the pathogen and, in most cases, prevent any complications.
treatment and therapy
A therapy against the rubella virus is not known, only the symptoms can be treated.
If rubella has caused the lymph nodes to swell, it can be treated with heat. Treatment of the skin rash typical of rubella is usually not necessary as it soon goes away on its own.
If a pregnant woman has been in contact with someone infected with rubella, her immune status should be checked immediately. If she has no immunity, a rubella IgG-Ab serum can prevent the mother from breaking out and thus endangering the child from rubella for up to four days.
If an embryo has been damaged by rubella, more extensive measures are usually necessary later. These include operations, the provision of aids such as hearing aids and support measures such as physiotherapy or occupational therapy.
Prevention
The most important preventive measure against rubella is vaccination. This can be carried out from the 12th month of life. The live vaccine is usually administered in combination with the measles mumps vaccine (MMR vaccine).
A second vaccination should be given to achieve near 100% immunity to rubella. There should be at least 4 weeks between the first and second vaccination.
Vaccination is recommended for all children from the age of 12 months, in exceptional cases earlier. But adults, especially women, should catch up on the vaccination later if they are not yet immune to rubella.
People with rubella should be isolated to avoid contamination, especially by pregnant women.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.