What is rubella? What are the manifestations, complications, causes, tests, and treatments for rubella?

What is rubella? What are the manifestations, complications, causes, tests, and treatments for rubella?

What is rubella?
Rubella is a disease caused by rubella virus infection, which causes rash on the face and body. Rubella has been common in the past, often affecting a wide range of people in the winter and spring, but since the rubella vaccine, rubella is significantly less. School-age children are the most vulnerable to rubella virus infection, but adults are more likely to develop symptoms than children. The most serious harm to the rubella virus is the unborn fetus. If the pregnant woman is infected with the rubella virus, stillbirth, premature birth, or serious congenital malformation may occur.

What is the performance of rubella?
The incubation period of the rubella virus is usually 14 to 18 days, which means that after being infected with the rubella virus, symptoms may appear after two weeks.

• Performance of children: Children's symptoms are generally not serious, mainly due to the appearance of pink rash on the skin, low fever, and swollen lymph nodes. Low fever can occur at the same time as the rash, or it can occur 1 to 5 days before the rash. The rash can last from 1 to 8 days. In addition, it may be accompanied by conjunctivitis, soft palate mucosa (Forchheimer's plaque), acute thyroiditis.
• Performance of adolescents and adults: The symptoms of adolescents and adults are heavier than children and last longer. Adult rashes are similar to children, and there are also fevers and swollen lymph nodes. The difference is that adults also have joint pain, body aches, fatigue, poor appetite. Joint pain can last for 1 month. In addition, it can be accompanied by conjunctivitis, testicular pain and orchitis. 
• Performance of neonatal patients: After the pregnant mother is infected with rubella, the virus can be transmitted to the baby through the placenta. After birth, the baby will develop congenital rubella syndrome, which is manifested as: deafness, cataract, heart disease, mental retardation. Growth retardation, mental disorders, diabetes, etc.

Where are the lesions of rubella often occur?

• Rash: The rash first appears on the face, then spreads down to the torso and extremities, and spreads throughout the body within 24 hours.
• Lymphadenopathy: lymphadenopathy usually occurs in the posterior cervical lymph nodes, the posterior lymph nodes, and the suboccipital lymph nodes.
• Joint pain: Joint pain and arthritis are most common in the knee, wrist and knuckles.

What complications and complications can rubella cause?
The complications of rubella are not common. Possible complications include:

• Encephalitis after infection: usually occurs within 1 week of rash, manifested as headache, lethargy, vomiting, diplopia, neck stiffness, convulsions, limb paralysis, coma, etc. Most people have a good prognosis and can get better quickly, leaving little sequelae or death.
• Myocarditis: manifested as chest tightness, palpitations, dizziness, fatigue and so on. Most of them can return to normal within 1-2 weeks.
• Arthritis: mainly found in adults, especially women, which are characterized by redness, swelling and pain in the joints, wrists and knees. Most patients can improve on their own within 1 month.
• Bleeding tendency: manifested as sudden appearance of skin ecchymosis, hematemesis, blood in the stool, hematuria and so on. Most of them improved within 1 to 2 weeks, and a small number of patients may have intracranial hemorrhage and die. 
• Abnormal liver and kidney function. 
• Progressive rubella encephalitis: extremely rare. Behavioral changes, cognitive impairment, dementia, uncoordinated movements, and seizures. Eventually it may develop into a coma and die within a few years.

Why do you get rubella?
People with low immunity are prone to rubella and are transmitted by rubella patients. People with low immunity include the elderly, children, patients taking immunosuppressants, and AIDS patients.

Is rubella inherited?
Rubella is not a genetic disease and is an infectious disease. It can also be transmitted to the fetus through the mother. If the pregnant woman is infected with rubella, the rubella virus can be transmitted to the fetus in the abdomen through the placenta, leading to stillbirth, premature birth or severe congenital malformation.

Is rubella contagious? How is it transmitted?
Rubella can be transmitted. The rubella of rubella patients contains a large amount of rubella virus. When talking, coughing, or sneezing, it will produce droplets carrying the virus. People with low immunity may incur after inhaling these droplets. Therefore, people with low immunity are advised not to go to public places where there are many people. If you can't avoid going out, you should wear a mask.

Have you ever had rubella before, may you be infected again?
possible. After the first infection with rubella, the body can produce antibodies that play a protective role, but it is still possible to re-infect later. Re-infection can be without symptoms of discomfort.

Which department does rubella generally go to see?
Rubella is a legal infectious disease. It is necessary to go to the Department of Infectious Diseases or Infectious Diseases, or go to the Children's Infectious Diseases Department.

What do you need to check for rubella?
Rubella can be diagnosed by blood-detecting rubella-specific IgM antibodies. Rubella virus is isolated from the patient's nasopharyngeal secretions, and rubella can also be diagnosed, but this test is more expensive and less used. In addition, the presence of rubella infection in the fetus can be diagnosed by detecting rubella virus RNA in amniotic fluid.

How should the results of rubella antibody be interpreted?
The examination of rubella antibody generally includes two indicators of IgM and IgG. Different examination results can be understood as follows:

• IgG and lgM are positive, or IgG titer ≥ 1:512: indicating that there is a recent rubella virus infection, which can be used Diagnose rubella.
• Both IgG and IgM are negative: indicating that they have never been infected with rubella virus. 
• lgG titer < 1:512, lgM is negative: indicating that the rubella virus has been infected before, and there is no recent infection. Rubella IgG has a protective effect on the body and prevents the virus from re-infecting. Even if it is re-infected, the symptoms may be mild. 
• IgG titers increased more than 4 times in duplicate serum, regardless of whether lgM is positive: suggesting a recent rubella virus infection, and may be the second infection. If the second (2) condition occurs during the pre-pregnancy check, it is best to go to the epidemic prevention agency to inject the rubella vaccine, and at least 4 weeks before getting pregnant. If the first (1) (4) condition occurs during the pre-pregnancy check, it may indicate that rubella may have been infected recently. It should be reviewed and treated under the guidance of a doctor, and then considered for pregnancy after recovery.

Which diseases and rubella perform similarly?
Measles, scarlet fever, rose rash, rash-related enterovirus infection, infectious mononucleosis, vaccine-associated measles, toxoplasmosis, etc., can occur with rubella, fever, joint pain and other symptoms similar to rubella. It is recommended to go to the Department of Infectious Diseases or Dermatology for a rash. The experienced doctor will judge which kind of disease is specific.

Is it necessary to go to the hospital for rubella?
Yes. Because non-medical people simply can't judge the cause of the rash, it is necessary for a specialist to confirm the diagnosis and then prescribe the right medicine. Different rash diseases are treated differently.

How is rubella treated?
There are currently no specific drugs for rubella infection. Many patients can heal themselves in about 2 weeks without treatment. However, if the symptoms of fever and joint pain are serious, symptomatic treatment can be performed, such as taking antipyretics and painkillers. Antipyretics and painkillers are generally non-prescription drugs, which can be purchased at the pharmacy by yourself, but be sure to read the instructions carefully or ask the pharmacist before use, as some drugs are not suitable for children or liver and kidney dysfunction.

Does rubella need hospitalization?
Hospitalization is generally not required.

Can rubella be completely cured? Will it recur?
Rubella is a self-limiting disease. Most people can heal on their own. They usually do not relapse. They will gain certain immunity after infection, but they may be re-infected in the future, but the symptoms of re-infection are usually mild, or There are no symptoms.

Will rubella have sequelae?
After children and adults suffer from rubella, there are few sequelae. The sequelae that are prone to sequelae are fetuses infected by the mother. After the fetus is infected with the rubella virus in the mother's abdomen, it may develop congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which causes deafness, cataracts and heart disease. The scary thing is that some fetuses infected with rubella virus can have no abnormal performance at birth, but gradually become abnormal over time. The sequelae of CRS include: mental retardation, hearing loss, visual impairment, heart defects, endocrine diseases (including diabetes, thyroid disease and growth hormone deficiency), vascular disease, progressive rubella encephalitis, immunodeficiency and so on.

What should the patients with rubella pay attention to in life?

• Take the rest as the main body and avoid fatigue.
• Drink plenty of water. 
• Isolation at home for 7 days, don't go out.

What should the patients with rubella pay attention to in their diet?
No special taboos. But to ensure energy and protein intake, choose foods that are easy to digest. If the appetite is not good, you can eat less and eat more.

Can rubella continue to learn and work during treatment?
No, you should take time off at home and self-segregate for 7 days. One is to prevent transmission to other children or colleagues; the second is to avoid fatigue and affect the self-recovery of the disease.

Will rubella affect fertility?
Rubella can affect fertility. As mentioned above, if a pregnant woman is infected with the rubella virus, it may lead to stillbirth, premature birth, fetal birth defects. Therefore, we must vaccinate the rubella vaccine in early childhood. Women of childbearing age who have not been vaccinated, if they are found to have negative rubella antibodies before pregnancy, it is recommended to vaccinate rubella as soon as possible, and at least 4 weeks after vaccination to become pregnant. Adult female patients with rubella should wait until they are cured before considering pregnancy.

Is there a way to prevent rubella?

• Inoculation of rubella vaccine All young children should be vaccinated against rubella. In China, the first dose of measles + rubella vaccine is inoculated at 8 months of age, and the second dose of measles + mumps + rubella vaccine is given at 18 months of age. If a child has not been vaccinated with a second dose at the time of enrollment, they should be vaccinated as soon as possible, and no later than 11 to 12 years of age. In addition, family members and medical staff who care for patients with impaired immune function can be vaccinated against rubella in case they develop rubella and then transmit to patients with impaired immune function. 
• Pregnancy tests for rubella infection After pregnancy, women need to be tested for rubella virus in the early pregnancy to prevent the virus from being transmitted to the fetus without knowing it. As long as the card is built in a regular hospital, this check is generally available. 
• Isolation of patients Students in school and nursery school children should be isolated at home for 7 days in case of rubella, in case they are passed on to other children.

What is the adverse reaction after vaccination against rubella?
The adverse reactions of rubella vaccine are relatively small and relatively mild. Slight fever may occur 1 to 2 weeks after inoculation. In addition, mild rash may occur with mild lymphadenopathy, and very few people may have small joint pain. Allergic reactions are rare and mild, mainly due to wheal and blush at the injection site. Rubella vaccination does not cause autism, chronic arthritis, rheumatic diseases, aseptic meningitis, cerebellar ataxia, Crohn's disease, etc. Pregnant women and immunocompromised persons (such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation, AIDS patients with severely impaired immune function, etc.) may not be vaccinated against rubella, otherwise it may cause fetal or It is infected with rubella virus itself.