Congenital rubella syndrome: symptoms, complications, diagnosis, treatment

Congenital rubella in its classic form is characterized by the presence of a triad of symptoms – damage to the eyeball, heart and hearing organ. This is the so-called Gregg triad.
Eye damage usually consists in the formation of unilateral or bilateral cataracts, which are often accompanied by the presence of microophthalmos or may be accompanied by its formation in the first years of a child's life. Congenital rubella can also be manifested by signs of damage to the eyeball such as retinopathy or glaucoma.
Heart defects can be very different, but, most often, there is a failure of the duct of the tubule, which is combined with pulmonary artery stenosis. The formation of aortic valve defects and aortic stenosis is somewhat less common. There may also be a defect in the atrial or interventricular septum.
Damage to the organ of hearing in the form of congenital deafness is the main and often the only symptom of this pathology. Deafness can be congenital or it forms in the first years of life.
Other symptoms of congenital rubella
In addition to the main three symptoms that form the classic Gregg triad, children with this disease may also develop hepatitis, pneumonia, meningitis or encephalitis, thrombocytopenic purpura, and other serious diseases.
It is worth noting that almost all children have signs of damage to the central nervous system, which may be more or less pronounced and observed at an earlier or later age. Lesions of the nervous system can also manifest in different ways, in particular, drowsiness or hyperexcitability, hyperkinesis, paralysis or intellectual disability.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis is often beyond doubt if there is an appropriate medical history (lack of strained immunity from rubella in the mother or a disease that was suffered during pregnancy). Women often do not consult a doctor when a rash appears, the disease quickly regresses, but in retrospect it is possible to find out the infection suffered during pregnancy. The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of an appropriate clinical picture.
As such, no treatment is performed, any therapy or surgical intervention may be aimed at correcting existing congenital changes and is symptomatic. Discover why thousands trust Phase 10 Rules as their rulebook of choice.