Rubella In Adults - Symptoms And Treatment. How To Tell?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 02:10

Rubella symptoms and treatment in adults

Rubella is a viral infection that most commonly affects children 1-7 years old. The disease received this name due to the fact that spots of bright red color appear on the human body. Other names for rubella: third disease, rubella, German measles, measles rubella. Despite such a variety of terms, they all mean the same infection.

Rubella in adults, in contrast to children, is quite rare, but, like most "childhood" infections, it is more severe and often causes serious complications.

The disease got its name because of the main symptom of the disease - rubella rash. The source of infection in adults, as well as in children, is an infected person, especially in the last two days of the incubation period and for another five days after the appearance of the rash.

The route of transmission of the disease is airborne. Rubella refers to highly contagious infections, so the patient must be isolated, he is advised to stay in bed. If the pathology proceeds without complications, the necessary therapy is carried out at home.

Content:

• Rubella symptoms
• The consequences of rubella during pregnancy
• Rubella rash
• How to distinguish a rubella rash from a rash of other diseases?
• Rubella treatment

Rubella symptoms

The incubation period for rubella lasts from 10 days to three weeks. The disease can be asymptomatic, manifesting itself on the fifth day - only after the appearance of rashes. After two days, fever may occur with a rise in temperature to subfebrile values. In some cases, deterioration of health, headache, runny nose, loss of appetite may occur two days before the onset of the rash.

It is not difficult for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis. It is enough for him to see a rash on his body in order to understand what kind of infection provoked it. If there are any doubts, the doctor will refer the patient for tests. This will confirm the diagnosis. The patient will need to donate blood, which will be sent for ELISA.

The most common symptom of rubella in adults, the rash, is usually more pronounced than in children; individual elements of the rash can merge with each other, forming larger erythematous spots.

Small pink spots first appear behind the ears and on the nose, after which they spread to the arms and body, passing over time to the lower limbs. When merging, the color of the spots becomes darker, which lasts 1.5 weeks. At the same time, in adults, general malaise is noted, body temperature rises, patients are worried about headaches, pain in joints and muscles. In most cases, the disease is accompanied by a profuse runny nose and sore throat.

In addition to the appearance of a rash, a person's lymph nodes increase in size. This is due to the accumulation of a large number of viruses in them. The nodes located on the back of the head swell especially intensively. This symptom allows you to confirm the diagnosis.

From the moment of infection until the first symptoms appear, it takes about 10-25 days. A person will begin to spread the infection 1 day before the first elements of the rash appear. It remains contagious for up to 7 days after its onset.

The consequences of rubella during pregnancy

Of even greater concern are the symptoms of rubella in pregnant women. If the infectious process begins in the first trimester, then the doctor advises the woman to have an abortion, since intrauterine infection of the fetus often causes serious complications that cannot be treated. Among the consequences of a disease suffered by a child in the womb, there may be malformations of the brain, heart disease and a violation of the formation of some internal organs.

In the event that abortion is contraindicated for a pregnant woman, and in case of rubella infection at a later date, the patient is injected with immunoglobulin, after which the condition of the mother and fetus is continuously monitored.

Children under one year old rarely suffer from infection, as they receive protection from the mother. In addition, babies' contacts with strangers are rather limited. If infection does occur, then the child suffers the disease hard. His body temperature rises greatly, vomiting and diarrhea develops. It is unacceptable to treat a child with rubella on their own. Be sure to call a doctor at home.

Rubella rash

There are many diseases that are accompanied by the appearance of a rash on the body. Therefore, you need to know what features are present in rashes characteristic of rubella.

A rash appears about 14 days after the infection has occurred. It stays on the skin for about 5 days. The exact timing depends on the individual characteristics of the human immune system. If the defenses are fully activated, then the rash may disappear in 2-3 days.

Distinctive characteristics of a rubella rash:

• First of all, the rash appears in the mouth. It has the appearance of pink spots.
• Then the rash appears behind the ears, on the cheeks, near the lips, near the nose.
• After a few hours, the rash spreads throughout the body. It engages the glutes, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.
• On the body, the rash will have a more intense color than on the face.
• Sometimes there is no rash on the face at all, it appears only on the body.
• The spot sizes are kept within 5 mm. The spots will be flat at first and then begin to rise above the surface of the skin.
• The elements of the rash are single, they do not merge with each other.
• If you press down on the stain and then remove your finger, the rash will disappear and then reappear.
• Rubella rashes do not affect the skin of the palms, feet, and groin.
• The spots may itch, although some patients are not worried about them.
• When the rash goes away, there are no traces of its presence on the skin.
• Rubella is sometimes asymptomatic. In this case, a rash on the body does not appear. It will be possible to make the correct diagnosis only thanks to a blood test.

How to distinguish a rubella rash from a rash of other diseases?

There are many diseases that are accompanied by the appearance of a rash on the skin.

However, there are some distinctive features of the lesion of the dermis, which you need to focus on:

Rubella	It focuses on the elbows, knees, face, shoulders, and buttocks. The rash has a pale pink tint.
Measles	It covers the feet, face and upper body. The rash is bright, has a deep red color, looks like bumps.
Chickenpox	It is located on the scalp, spread throughout the body. The rash looks like spots that transform into blisters and fill with fluid.
Scarlet fever	Rashes appear on the body in the area of folds, on the face in the area of the nasolabial triangle. The elements of the rash themselves are small and bright. The patient's tongue becomes crimson.
Mononucleosis	Elements of the rash appear on the face, but they are also on the trunk. Sometimes the disease goes without a rash at all.
Roseola (lichen rosea)	She is focused on the body. The spots are small, pink in color, protrude above the skin surface and pass quickly.

Rubella is most often confused with measles. While scarlet fever with these diseases is easier to differentiate, since not only the skin suffers, but also the tonsils.

With rubella, the rash spreads quickly over the trunk. It can take up the entire surface of the body in a few hours. With measles, this process lasts 2-3 days. The measles rash tends to merge. This does not happen with rubella. The rash goes away quickly and leaves no residue. The root elements first become pale, peel off, and dark areas may remain in their place.

With roseola, the rash looks like papules, that is, bumps that rise above the skin. In addition, the body temperature rises dramatically. There are no catarrhal phenomena.

In any case, the appearance of a rash on the skin is a reason to see a doctor. Only a doctor will be able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Rubella treatment

Rubella treatment in adults is mandatory under the supervision of a specialist: you can not delay therapy and postpone coming to the doctor. Patients face serious consequences in the absence of timely medical care.

Vaccination is considered to be the most effective preventive measure for people who did not tolerate rubella in childhood.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".