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Complications

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Complications of rubella are rare and include:

  • thrombocytopaenia
    • occurs in about 1 in 3000 individuals with rubella (1)
    • commonly seen in children
  • encephalitis and polyneuritis
    • encephalitis – 1 in 6000 cases
    • frequent in adults (2)
  • arthritis or arthralgia in adolescents
    • seen in upto 70% of adult women with rubella
    • usually fingers, wrists, and knees are affected (2)
    • chronic arthritis is rare (1)
  • in pregnant women
    • during first trimester – miscarriages, fetal deaths/stillborn (3)
    • 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 (1)

Reference:

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