This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Congenital rubella syndrome

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

This is a condition that appears in the neonate as a result of rubella infection of the mother. The risk of developing CRS depends on the length of the pregnancy:

  • in the first 8-10 weeks - fetal damage in up to 90% of infants and multiple defects are common (1)
  • risk of fetal damage declines to 10-20% by 16 weeks (1)
  • fetal damage as a result of maternal rubella infection is rare after 16 weeks gestation

The occurrence of the rash associated with rubella infection is a variable feature.

Often, rubella infection of the mother causes spontaneous abortion or causes serious damage to the surviving foetus - characterised by deafness, blindness and heart defects.

The viraemia may persist throughout pregnancy and the infant may continue to excrete virus for many years after birth. The disease process continues during the period of virus excretion.

Congenital rubella has been reported after cases of rubella re-infection during pregnancy. Rubella re-infection can occur in individuals with both natural and vaccine-induced antibody.

Reference:

  • (1) The Green Book. Immunisation against infectious disease. Chapter 28 - Rubella. Public Health England 2013

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.