Definition:
Congenital rubella syndrome (or CRS) can affect a developing fetus of a pregnant woman who has been infected by rubella during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
If the mother is infected 0-28 days before conception, there is a 43% risk of the fetus being affected. If infection occurs 0-12 days after conception, chances of CRS affecting the infant are 51%. If the infection occurs 13-26 weeks after conception, the chances of CRS affecting the fetus are 23%. However, if the infection occurs in the last trimester, specifically in the 26th to 20th week after conception, the infants are not generally affected.
Symptoms and Signs:
Congenital rubella syndrome can lead to serious birth defects. Affected infants are commonly born with malformations of the heart, eyes, or brain, as well as defects in the spleen, liver, or bone marrow. Mental retardation, deafness, microcephaly (small head), thrombocytopenic purpura, low birth weight, micrognathia, and hepatomegaly are also characteristic of congenital rubella.
As rubella-exposed children age, they should be monitored closely for potential complications in the form of schizophrenia, growth/development problems, learning disabilities, glaucoma, or diabetes.
Causes:
A fetus in the womb can develop congenital rubella syndrome if the mother contracts rubella, a disease caused by the rubella virus (more popularly known as German measles) during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
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