Complications
Complications of rubella are rare and include: (1)
- thrombocytopaenia
- occurs in about 1 in 3000 individuals with rubella
- commonly seen in children
- encephalitis and polyneuritis
- encephalitis – 1 in 6000 cases
- frequent in adults
- arthritis or arthralgia in adolescents
- seen in up to 70% of adult women with rubella
- usually fingers, wrists, and knees are affected
- chronic arthritis is rare
- in pregnant women (2)
- during first trimester – miscarriages, foetal deaths/stillborn
- congenital rubella syndrome – may present with one or more of the following
- cataracts and other eye defects
- deafness
- cardiac abnormalities
- microcephaly
- intra-uterine growth restriction
- lesions of brain, liver, lungs and bone marrow
References:
- UK Health Security Agency. Rubella (German measles): guidance, data and analysis. Published 1 April 2013. Last updated 22 November 2022
- Mawson AR, Croft AM. Rubella Virus Infection, the Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and the Link to Autism. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Sep 22;16(19):3543
Related pages
Create an account to add page annotations
Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page