How not to miss the first symptoms of rubella in adults?

Rubella is one of the viral infections, the incidence of which is more common among the child population. Rubella affects adults less frequently, infection with the rubella virus in an adult is manifested by a more severe course of the disease and a high risk of complications. A separate category is made up of pregnant women who, when infected with rubella, have a high risk of having a child with pathologies. Rubella has characteristic manifestations that are important to notice at the earliest stages in order to prevent complications of the process. What are the first symptoms of rubella?

How to recognize the development of rubella symptoms?

Rubella develops when an RNA-containing virus enters the body, which easily tolerates freezing and room temperature. The rubella virus is transmitted from a sick person.

The insidiousness of rubella lies in the fact that a person is already dangerous to others even before the onset of the first symptoms of rubella, and the disease can also proceed in an erased form. A week before a person has the first symptoms of rubella, he is the source of the infection.

In the case of congenital rubella, the virus is found in newborns in the urine and secretions from the nasopharynx. The virus can enter the body through airborne droplets. When pregnant women are infected, the virus penetrates the blood-brain barrier, and infection of the fetus occurs. The virus is not environmentally persistent, so transmission requires closer contact than measles or chickenpox.

First symptoms of rubella. Characteristics of rubella rash

The incubation period is 10 to 25 days. In adults, the symptoms of rubella manifest with prodromal signs - weakness, headache, slight fever. A runny nose, sore throat and sore throat, bouts of dry cough are noted, the patient has photophobia and lacrimation. On examination, hyperemia of the pharynx and posterior pharyngeal wall, redness of the conjunctiva is revealed. These symptoms persist for three days.

There is lymphadenitis of the mid-cervical and occipital lymph nodes. Palpation of the nodes is painful, the symptoms of lymphadenitis persist for 3 weeks. After a period of catarrhal phenomena, itching of the skin develops, after which a rash appears. In some cases, the rash appears already in the first days of rubella symptoms.

Characterization of the rash, the main symptom of rubella:

• The rash first appears on the face and neck, under the hair, behind the ears.
• The body becomes covered with a rash within a day, with the exception of the soles and palms.
• In adults, enanthems on the oral mucosa (Foreheim spots) are very rarely detected.
• The rash does not rise above the surface of the body, has smooth edges and is pink in color.
• In adults, the elements of the rash often merge, which is not typical for the course of rubella in children.
• The rash on the body persists for 4 days, after which it disappears without a trace.
• Temperature during rash is normal or slightly elevated. Women often experience pain in the joints.

Peculiarities of rubella symptoms in adults. Danger and complications of rubella

The symptoms of rubella in adults are more pronounced, with severe catarrhal phenomena and profuse confluent rash.

When the first symptoms of rubella are detected, it is important to immediately consult a doctor, because rubella is dangerous with the likelihood of serious complications.

Complications appear due to the addition of a bacterial infection. These are otitis media, pneumonia, tonsillitis, arthritis, thrombocytopenic purpura. Rubella infection in pregnant women poses a great threat. Moreover, the shorter the gestation period when infected with rubella, the higher the risk of developing congenital malformations of the fetus. Therefore, the symptoms of rubella in adults should be recognized in time, pregnant women should be wary of contact with rubella patients.

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