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| ==Signs and Symptoms== | | ==Signs and Symptoms== |
| After an incubation period of 14-21 days, the primary symptom of rubella virus infection is the appearance of a rash ([[exanthem]]) on the face which spreads to the trunk and limbs and usually fades after three days. Other symptoms include low grade [[fever]], swollen glands (post cervical lymphadenopathy), [[joint pains]], [[headache]], [[conjunctivitis]].<ref name="pmid16022642">{{cite journal
| | *Most adults get infected by rubella have a mild illness, with low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. |
| |author=Edlich RF, Winters KL, Long WB, Gubler KD
| | *Few patients may have a headache, pink eye, and general discomfort before the rash appears. |
| |title=Rubella and congenital rubella (German measles)
| | *About 25 to 50% of people infected with rubella will not experience any symptoms. |
| |journal=J Long Term Eff Med Implants
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| |volume=15
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| |issue=3
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| |pages=319–28
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| |year=2005
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| |pmid=16022642
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| |doi=
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| |url=http://www.begellhouse.com/journals/1bef42082d7a0fdf,69622d0e4ea6cf4b,4fb4b32d494cf55c.html
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| }}</ref> The swollen [[gland]]s or lymph nodes can persist for up to a week and the [[fever]] rarely rises above 38 <sup>o</sup>C (100.4 <sup>o</sup>F). The rash disappears after a few days with no staining or peeling of the skin. Forchheimer's sign occurs in 20% of cases, and is characterized by small, red [[papule]]s on the area of the [[soft palate]].
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| Rubella can affect anyone of any age and is generally a mild disease, rare in infants or those over the age of 40. The older the person is the more severe the symptoms are likely to be. Up to one-third of older girls or women experience joint pain or arthritic type symptoms with rubella. The virus is contracted through the respiratory tract and has an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks. During this incubation period, the carrier is contagious but may show no symptoms.
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| ====Congenital Rubella Syndrome====
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| {{main|Congenital rubella syndrome}}
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| Rubella can cause [[congenital rubella syndrome]] in the newly born. The syndrome (CRS) follows intrauterine infection by Rubella virus and comprises cardiac, cerebral, ophthalmic and auditory defects.<ref name="pmid15259032">{{cite journal
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| |author=Atreya CD, Mohan KV, Kulkarni S
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| |title=Rubella virus and birth defects: molecular insights into the viral teratogenesis at the cellular level.
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| |journal=Birth Defects Res. Part A Clin. Mol. Teratol.
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| |volume=70
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| |issue=7
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| |pages=431–7
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| |year=2004
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| |pmid=15259032
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| |doi=10.1002/bdra.20045
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| |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bdra.20045
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| }}</ref> It may also cause prematurity, low birth weight, and neonatal [[thrombocytopenia]], [[anemia]] and [[hepatitis]]. The risk of major defects or organogenesis is highest for infection in the first trimester. CRS is the main reason a vaccine for rubella was developed. Many mothers who contract rubella within the first critical trimester either have a [[miscarriage]] or a still born baby. If the baby survives the infection, it can be born with severe heart disorders ([[PDA]] being the most common), [[blindness]], [[deafness]], or other life threatening organ disorders. The skin manifestations are called "blueberry muffin lesions." <ref name="pmid16580940">{{cite journal
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| |author=De Santis M, Cavaliere AF, Straface G, Caruso A
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| |title=Rubella infection in pregnancy.
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| |journal=Reprod. Toxicol.
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| |volume=21
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| |issue=4
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| |pages=390–8
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| |year=2006
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| |pmid=16580940
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| |doi=10.1016/j.reprotox.2005.01.014
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| |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0890-6238(05)00073-0
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| }}</ref>
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| ==References== | | ==References== |