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Congenital rubella - Treatment

Treatment:

There is no specific treatment for congenital rubella. Care involves appropriate treatment of affected systems in consultation with your health care providers.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome for a child with congenital rubella depends on the severity of problems present. Heart defects can often be corrected. Damage to the nervous system is permanent.

Complications:

Complications may involve many parts of the body.

Eyes:

Cataracts
Glaucoma
Retinitis

Heart:

Patent ductus arteriosus
Pulmonary artery stenosis
Other heart defects

Central nervous system:

Mental retardation
Motor retardation
Small head from failed brain development
Encephalitis
Meningitis

Other:

Deafness
Low blood platelet count
Enlarged liver and spleen
Abnormal muscle tone
Bone disease

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have concerns about congenital rubella, if you are unsure of your vaccination status, or if you or your children need a rubella vaccine.

Rubella on an infant's back

Rubella Syndrome

Reviewed last on: 10/15/2007
Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Edlich RF, Winters KL, Long WB 3rd, Gubler KD. Rubella and congenital rubella (German measles). J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2005;15(3):319-328.

Bar-Oz B, Levichek Z, Moretti ME, Mah C, Andreou S, Koren G. Pregnancy outcome following rubella vaccination: a prospective controlled study. Am J Med Genet A. 2004;130(1):52-54.

Robertson SE, Featherstone DA, Gacic-Dobo M, Hersh BS. Rubella and congenital rubella syndrome: global update. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2003;14(5):306-315.

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