Approximately 50% of rubella infections are asymptomatic (without symptoms) in children; in adolescents and adults, >30% are oligo- or asymptomatic (few or no clinical symptoms).
The following symptoms and complaints may indicate postnatally acquired rubella:
Leading symptoms
- Small-spotted macular or maculopapular exanthema (rash) that begins on the face and spreads over the body; persists for 1-3 days
- Subfebrile temperatures (up to 38.5 °C).
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement): postauricular (“coming after the ear”), occipital (“toward the occiput”), and nuchal (“referring to the neck“).
Associated symptoms
- Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva)
- Rhinitis (rhinitis)
- Headache
- Nausea
- Anorexia (loss of appetite)
- Enanthem (rash) on the soft palate
The following symptoms and complaints may indicate congenitally acquired rubella:
The leading symptoms form the so-called “Gregg syndrome”.
- Cataract – “cataract”, clouding of the lens of the eye.
- Vitia (heart defect)
- Hearing loss
Associated symptoms
- Osseous malformations (bone malformations).
- Hemolytic anemia – anemia caused by destruction of red blood cells.
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- Hepatosplenomegaly (enlargement of the liver and spleen).
- Icterus (jaundice)
- Low birth weight
- Meningoencephalitis (combined inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and meninges (meningitis)).
- Pneumonia (pneumonia)
- Autism – developmental disorders with perceptual and information processing disorder.
- Cryptorchidism – absence of one or both testes in the scrotum (not palpable) or the testis has an intra-abdominal location (retentio testis abdominalis; abdominal testis) or is not present (anorchia)
- Diabetes mellitus
- Glaucoma – “glaucoma”, intraocular pressure increase.
- Hernias – hernias of the intestines
- Mental retardation – mental developmental disorders.
- Microcephaly – head that is comparatively small in size; the circumference of the head in this case is three standard deviations less than the mean for a person of the same age and sex
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Pubertas praecox (premature puberty)
- Retinopathy – diseases of the retina of the eye.
- Epilepsy (seizures)
- Paralysis
- Thyroid dysfunction (thyroid dysfunction/disorder).
- Thrombocytopenia – lack of platelets (blood platelets), these are important for clotting.
