Symptoms
- Upper respiratory tract infection
- Small-spotted rash that begins on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the extremities, disappearing after 1-3 days
- Lymph node swelling
- Joint pain (especially in adult women).
- Headache
- Conjunctivitis
Course
- Incubation period: 14-21 days
- Duration of the infectious phase: 1 week before to 1 week after the appearance of the rash.
- Mostly mild course in children and adults
- The rash appears only in about 50% of cases
- Congenital rubella (or rubella embryopathy / Gregg syndrome): rubella infection during pregnancy is very critical, because the rubella virus via the placenta is transmissible to the unborn child, where it can lead to damage or even death. As a result, hearing loss, heart defects, eye malformations, open back, premature birth or miscarriage may occur. The risk of transmission decreases as pregnancy progresses.
- A passed rubella disease leads to lifelong immunity.
Causes
- Rubella virus (Rubella virus), RNA virus of the togavirus family.
- Transmission route: droplet infection or direct contact with secretions (nasopharyngeal secretions, urine and stool).
Epidemiology
- Main patient group: children
- Frequent occurrence in spring
Complications
With the exception of congenital rubella, complications are are very rare. However, the risk for complications increases with age.
- Meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Arthritis
- Numbness
- Bronchitis
- Sinusitis
- Myocarditis
Rubella embryopathy:
- Stillbirth
- Reduced birth weight
- Mental retardation
- Cataract
- Diabetes
- Hypoplasia of the pulmonary artery
- Enlargement of the spleen and liver
- Hepatitis
- Myocarditis
- Thrombocytopenic purpura
Risk factors
- Children between the ages of 5 and 14
Diagnosis
- Diagnosis is made by the physician on the basis of the clinical picture of the disease or by antibody detection.
Differential diagnosis
- Measles: The rash of rubella infection is often confused with that of measles. Unlike the rash of measles, the red spots of rubella do not flow into each other, or at least less.
- Scarlet fever
- Ringworm
- Pfeiffer’s glandular fever
- Coxsackie virus infection
- Drug exanthema
Non-drug treatment
Bed rest (during the fever phase).
Drug treatment
Symptomatic therapy with antipyretic and analgesic drugs.
Prevention
MMR vaccination protects against measles, mumps, and rubella; see MMR Vaccination.
