Rubella (German Measles)

Hey guys and welcome to

How To Gastro.

In today's video.

We're gonna be talking about a very interesting and common pathology

and that is rubella, which is also commonly known as German measles.

So, let's get started.

So, what is rubella?

Rubella also commonly known as German measles or three-day measles is

a common childhood infection which is caused by the rubella virus.

Individuals infected with rubella

usually have a mild illness with symptoms that can include a low grade fever,

a sore throat,

swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that starts in the

face and then spreads to the rest of the body.

However, it can be a very serious condition in pregnant women

as it may go on to cause something

called congenital rubella syndrome in the developing fetus.

So, from this definition of rubella, we get that it's a common childhood infection,

but it can actually infect adults.

And the disease is actually caused by this virus called the rubella virus.

So, most individuals who become infected with rubella usually have a mild illness,

and they do develop some symptoms which include a fever, a sore throat,

some swollen lymph glands, and a rash which characteristically starts on

the face and then spreads to the rest of the body.

Something very interesting though about rubella is that it can

actually be a very serious complication in pregnant women.

So, women who are pregnant, who contract the disease may go on to

suffer some devastating effects in connection with

their fetuses or their developing fetuses.

And that is when we have something called congenital rubella syndrome,

and we will explore this topic further as this video goes along.

So now that we know what the basics of rubella is,

let's take a closer look at what this congenital rubella syndrome is all about.

So, congenital rubella syndrome is the transplacental

infection of the fetus with rubella and

usually occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy

as a consequence of maternal infection.

And this results in various development abnormalities in the newborn infant.

And they may include cardiac and ocular lesions;

deafness;

microcephaly, which is a very small brain;

mental retardation;

generalized growth retardation, which presents as

purpura, anemia, hepatitis, encephalitis,

and radiolucencies of the long bones.

So, something very sad, which may occur in some pregnant moms is this transplacental

transmission of the rubella virus from the mother to the unborn child.

So, the virus is transmitted to the baby through this placenta,

and it actually has some quite devastating effects on the baby. So,

some of them could be heart disease or cardiac malformations,

petechiae and purpura,

meaning these areas of bruised skin,

as well as anemia in these patients, hepatitis,

which is the inflammation of the liver,

encephalitis, which is the inflammation of the brain.

And we also have radiolucencies in the long bones,

meaning they haven't developed properly.

These patients can also suffer deafness, mental retardation,

and some eye

anomalies may include cataracts in these newborns—glaucoma,

strabismus,

nystagmus,

microphthalmia,

and an iris dysplasia.

So, as we can see, moms who do go on to contract congenital rubella syndrome,

the disease has quite devastating effects on the development

of their fetus as well as terrible lifelong complications.

So now that we know what the congenital rubella syndrome is all about,

let's take a closer look at how one can contract this disease.

So, rubella spreads when people breathe in the virus infected fluid,

such as the droplet spread into the air

when a person with rubella sneezes or coughs or

shares food or drink with someone who is infected.

It can also pass through a pregnant woman's bloodstream to infect her unborn child.

So, as we mentioned in the slide previously.

So,

something very important to note is that rubella

can be prevented by the rubella vaccine.

So the disease is actually pretty contagious and spreads pretty

easily when someone coughs up or sneezes these viral particles.

And they actually are able to infect a nearby person

when they inhale all these droplets in the air.

It can also be transmitted through the sharing of food.

So, if we have one child who's infected

by sharing food or drinks with someone who's uninfected,

the uninfected person here is at very high risk of contracting the disease.

And the last way in which the infection can be spread,

as we mentioned in the slide previously is transplacentally.

So, from a pregnant mom who's contracted the disease,

she can actually pass the disease onto her unborn child.

So, as we mentioned in the slide before, rubella

can actually be prevented from the rubella vaccine.

So, rubella can be prevented with the MMR vaccine.

And this vaccine protects individuals against three diseases, mumps,

measles, and rubella.

And the worldwide recommendation for this vaccine is that children get two

doses starting with their first dose at 12 to 15 months of age

and then the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age.

So, teens and adults should also be up to date with the MMR vaccine.

And the MMR vaccine is actually safe and effective,

and one dose of it is about 97% effective at preventing the onset of rubella.

So, the worldwide preventative measure against mumps,

measles, and rubella is this MMR vaccine,

and it's given in two doses.

The first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and then the second dose at 4 to 6 years of age.

And it's actually 97% effective at preventing the onset of this disease.

So,

getting vaccinated comes highly recommended because

prevention is always better than cure.

And as we can see, because the disease can have quite devastating effects,

it's always better to prevent the disease rather than deal

with the onset and then treat the devastating symptoms thereafter.

So, vaccination is an absolute must here.

So, now let's explore some signs and symptoms in rubella.

So, in children, rubella is usually mild with a few noticeable symptoms.

The rash generally first appears on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body

and lasts about three days.

And other symptoms that may occur in 1 to 5 days before the rash appears

includes a low grade fever,

headaches,

mild pink eye, which is the redness or swelling of the whites of the eye,

general discomfort, swollen and enlarged lymph nodes,

coughing,

and a runny nose.

So, in CRS or congenital rubella syndrome,

and as we mentioned earlier,

this is a condition that occurs in a developing baby in the

womb of a mother who is infected with the rubella virus.

So,

pregnant women who contract rubella are at a risk for miscarriage or stillbirth.

So, they can actually undergo a spontaneous abortion, which means a miscarriage,

and they can actually lose their child during the infective state.

And as we mentioned before,

their developing babies are at risk for

severe birth defects with devastating lifelong consequences.

So,

the most common birth defects from the

congenital rubella syndrome can include deafness,

cataracts, heart defects, intellectual disabilities,

liver and spleen damage, a low birth weight, and a skin rash at birth.

So, now let's talk about the diagnosis of rubella.

So, the rubella rash can look like many other viral rashes.

So, therefore, we can use a blood test to confirm the diagnosis of the disease.

The blood test will show rubella virus specific IgM antibodies which are

elevated in individuals who were recently infected by the rubella virus.

The test for the IgG

antibodies is most common and is the test time to see if a

woman who is pregnant or is planning to get pregnant is immune to rubella.

So,

the way in which we can actually diagnose a current or ongoing infection in

a child is actually to measure the IgM rubella specific antibodies in the blood.

And these will be found in elevated levels and will tell

us of an ongoing or current infection in these children.

But the way in which we can actually test if a

mom is immune or will not be infected with rubella.

So because the disease can actually have catastrophic

effects on the baby during a pregnancy,

we can test for the IgG antibodies before a mom

even gets pregnant or if a mom who is pregnant,

we can see what her associated risks

are for developing rubella during the pregnancy.

So, this can be done by measuring the IgG-specific rubella antibodies in her blood.

So, the IgMs can be used to diagnose a current or ongoing infection,

and the IgGs can test for immunity and will give us

an indication that someone is unlikely to develop the disease.

And finally, let's talk about the treatment of rubella.

So, there's no specific treatment for rubella.

However,

the management is a matter of responding to symptoms to diminish discomfort.

So, children are administered acetaminophen or

Ibuprofen to ease their discomfort.

And pregnant women may be treated

with antibodies called hyperimmune globulins that

can fight off the virus and this can help reduce their symptoms.

However,

there's still a chance that their baby will develop congenital rubella syndrome.

So, babies who are born with congenital rubella

syndrome will require treatment from a team of specialists.

Because their abnormalities and deformities can be so severe,

they will require an entire team of

specialists to treat their various disabilities.

So, they will require a pediatric ophthalmologist for their eye care,

a pediatric gastroenterologist for their GI abnormalities,

a pediatric cardiologist for their heart defects, et cetera.

And this is how we can treat the disease effectively.

And that brings us to the end of this presentation. I'm rubella.

Thank you guys so much for watching.

Hope you find the presentation very interesting and informative.

Please make sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share.

And please make sure you turn on your bell notifications

so be notified every time we have a new upload.

If you'd like to download a copy of this presentation,

you may do so by clicking the link in the description.

Take care

and bye for now.