Print this page
 Email this page

 Connect with UMMC on:
 Twitter
 Facebook
 YouTube
iPhone

 Share this page:

Bookmark and Share

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

 

Ask the Expert

Growth and Nutrition Experts’s Bio Image

Get answers to your child's growth, nutrition, and feeding behavior questions.

Growth and Nutrition Experts’s Bio | Q&A Archive

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Video details

[ Flash player icon ] Please install flash player to see this video.

Related Content


 

Birth-acquired herpes - Symptom

Alternative Names

HSV; Congenital herpes; Herpes - congenital

Symptoms:

Intrauterine herpes can cause:

  • Eye disease, such as inflammation of the retina (chorioretinitis)
  • Severe brain damage
  • Skin lesions

Birth-acquired herpes can produce localized (in one area of the body) or systemic (throughout the body) disease. Infants may develop only a localized skin infection consisting of small fluid-filled blisters (vesicles) that rupture, crust over, and finally heal, often leaving a mild scar.

A second type of birth-acquired herpes infection leads to encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can result in seizures and later brain and nervous system (neurologic) problems. If untreated, it may lead to death.

Disseminated herpes infection is the most dangerous type. In this type, the herpes virus can affect many different internal organs including the liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain. There may or may not be vesicles on the skin. This type of infection is often fatal.

Herpes acquired in the period shortly after birth has symptoms similar to birth-acquired herpes.

Symptoms of birth-acquired herpes include:

  • Bleeding easily
  • Breathing difficulties
    • Blue appearance (cyanosis)
    • Flaring of the nostrils
    • Grunting
    • Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
    • Short periods without breathing (apneic episodes)
  • Coma
  • Enlarged liver and spleen
  • Jaundice
  • Kidney failure
  • Lethargy
  • Low body temperature (hypothermia)
  • Poor feeding
  • Seizures
  • Shock
  • Skin lesions, fluid-filled blisters
  • Stress or anxiety

Signs and tests:

Tests for birth-acquired herpes include:

Additional tests that may be done if the baby is very sick include:

  • Reviewed last on: 10/15/2008
  • Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP. Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Cernik C, Gallina K, Brodell RT. The treatment of herpes simplex infections: An evidence-based review. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(11):1137-1144.

Hollier LM, Wendel GD. Third trimester antiviral prophylaxis for preventing maternal genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) recurrences and neonatal infection. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;23(1):CD004946.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
adam.com