Rubella in embarazo: contagion, diagnosis and treatment

Rubella is a common viral illness in childhood, without embargo, it can appear during the embarrassment and cause malformations in the baby, such as microcephaly, sore throat, changes in eyes and even abortion. That’s why the ideal is that the woman is vaccinated against the illness at least a month before becoming embarrassed.

Rubella during embarazo is spread through the contact of a woman with another infected person, so it is important to avoid risk areas or travel to countries where rubella is more frequent. The diagnosis of this infection is carried out by means of laboratory tests, such as RT-PCR, IgM and IgG antibodies for rubella or virus isolation from blood, urine, throat or nose.

The treatment of rubella during embarazo must be indicated by the obstetrician, who will prescribe medication for the symptoms, since there is no treatment for the fetus infected with rubella, because prevention before embarassment is important, by means of de la vacuna and prenatal consultations.

main symptoms

The symptoms of rubella in embarrassment are similar to those presented by any person who develops the illness, including the main ones:

• Small red spots on the skin, which appear on the face and behind the ears that spread throughout the body;
• Fiebre baja, up to 38ºC;
• Headache;
• Loss of appetite;
• Mild conjunctivitis;
• Pain in the joints;
• Blocked nose or nasal secretion;
• Inflamed ganglia, especially in the buttocks and behind the ears.

Symptoms can last up to 23 days, and the transmission of the virus can occur 7 days before the onset of symptoms and up to 7 days after the first red spots appear on the skin. Learn more about the symptoms of rubella.

How to confirm the diagnosis

To identify rubella in the embarrassment, it is recommended that the woman goes to an obstetrician to request the performance of blood tests that allow identifying the presence of antibodies against the rubella virus, such as the IgG and IgM rubella test.

The doctor can also perform an RT-PCR exam that detects the virus from samples obtained from nasal or throat secretions, as well as from blood or urine to confirm the rubella infection during pregnancy.

Possible complications of rubella

The consequences of rubella can arise when the woman has not received the vaccine against rubella and/or has become infected before or during the embarazo, having a greater risk of developing congenital rubella and causing complications such as:

• Sorder;
• visual changessuch as blindness, cataract, microphthalmia, glaucoma and retinopathy;
• Heart problemssuch as pulmonary artery stenosis, ventricular partition defect, myocarditis;
• Nervous system injuriessuch as microcephaly, meningoencephalitis or mental retardation;
• Increase in the size of the vessel and liver;
• growth hormone deficit;
• Diabetes.

The fetal alterations can be observed in the exams carried out during the embarazo and after the birth, by means of a morphological ultrasound performed between the 18th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.

However, some alterations are diagnosed after childbirth or the course of development. In addition, to confirm the infection of the rubella virus, an analysis of the baby’s blood can be carried out to evaluate the presence of antibodies.

How is the treatment performed?

The treatment of rubella in embarassment consists of controlling the symptoms, since there is no specific treatment that can cure rubella. In general, the treatment is carried out with medication to control the fever and analgesics, such as paracetamol, associated with rest and fluid intake by the embarassed woman.

rubella prevention

The best way to prevent the nazca baby with rubella is through the vaccination of the mother against rubella at least a month before the birth, because this vaccine is contraindicated during pregnancy. However, this vaccine can be applied during lactation, as it has no effect on the mother’s milk, thus preventing possible contagion in a future embargo. Learn more about the rubella vaccine.

Likewise, it is important that all children receive the vaccine during childhood to avoid congenital rubella syndrome, in addition to that it is recommended that a woman with embarassing wishes attend to an obstetrician before pregnancy to receive prenatal guidance on them. vaccines and care to avoid infections during this period.