What is dangerous rubella in adults
German measles, rubella rubella, rubella – behind all these names lies rubella, a viral disease related to childhood infections. Children are more susceptible to this infection, but an adult can also become ill. Moreover, there have been more cases of “adult” rubella lately.
Why are adults sick?
It is connected, oddly enough, with total vaccination.
When a child has had rubella, he has a lifelong immunity, that is, the infection is not terrible for him. This happens in the vast majority, although it is possible to get sick again and again with serious disorders in the immune system, individual features of the immune system.
A rubella vaccination is given in accordance with the vaccination schedule for all children at the age of one year, then before school and at the age of 14-17 years. Most vaccinated rubella children do not get sick. Immunity is formed after vaccination, but unlike lifelong immunity after an illness, vaccination provides protection for 8–10–15 years, from whom. And by the age of 25–30, the body is unarmed before infection. True, doctors recommend that all adults be vaccinated every 10 years, but have you met many people who wish to vaccinate themselves against childhood disease?
All adults need to be vaccinated.
So now adults are ill. Indeed, rubella is a contagious disease, as doctors say, with a high degree of contagiousness, it is easily transmitted by airborne droplets. But the incidence of rubella in children has become much less.
How does rubella occur in adults
In much the same way as in children, with the exception of some features. But the signs of rubella in adults are more pronounced, the disease is more severe: with fever, headaches, conjunctivitis – and can cause serious complications.
The incubation period: from the moment of penetration to the pronounced manifestations – usually lasts 2-3 weeks.
The first sign of rubella are deterioration of health, malaise and fever. In adults, the temperature can rise to 40 degrees.
Lymph nodes are inflamed and enlarged: these can be lymph nodes in the neck, neck, in the armpits, in the groin.
Symptoms of ARVI appear: runny nose, sore throat, cough.
Rubella can cause sore throats and inflamed lymph nodes on the body.
There is a severe headache, which is very difficult to remove.
Eyes redden and water, conjunctivitis with purulent discharges later appears.
Muscles and joints hurt like flu.
After 2 days, a rash appears on the body. It begins first on the face, on the mucous membranes (on the palate), then on the folds of the arms and legs, then on the back, lower back, buttocks. Unlike children, in adults, a rubella rash does not look like small dots, it merges into large red spots. The rash does not itch, does not hurt. It lasts from 4 to 7 days and passes without a trace.
Already a week before the onset of the rash, the patient can transmit the infection to others, but the most infectious period falls on the rash.
These are symptoms of the classic form of rubella in adults. But the disease can manifest itself without a rash (atypical form), and even with virtually no symptoms at all – only mild manifestations of the common cold. And in such cases, if the correct diagnosis is not made, the person becomes a source of infection, unaware of it.
What is dangerous rubella in adults
Along with the fact that in adults, rubella can be very difficult, it is dangerous above all serious complications.
Inflammatory diseases of the brain: encephalitis, meningitis. Manifest severe headache, fever, vomiting, cramps. Often there are disorders of consciousness. Possible coma, death.
Rubella is a very serious disease for adults
Arthritis. The rubella virus can cause inflammation of the joints, most often the small joints of the foot are affected. The foot in the area of the joint becomes red, swollen, sore. The consequence of arthritis can be disability.
Pneumonia. Pneumonia as a complication of rubella develops very quickly. Along with enlarged lymph nodes, there is a strong cough, respiratory failure, pain behind the sternum. Bacterial infection may join.
Thrombocytopenic purpura. It is characterized by a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood and is manifested by the appearance of hemorrhages on the skin, increased bleeding of the gums, and uterine bleeding.
Angina. Symptoms are pain when swallowing, high fever, hoarseness. Conventional antibiotic treatment for such a sore throat will not help.
Otitis. Manifested by severe pain in the ear, hearing impairment. Untreated can cause hearing loss.
But the most dangerous rubella is for women who are waiting for a child. Rubella in pregnant women is fraught with fetal death, deformities, developmental pathologies.
