Rubella in pregnancy. Still a concern

Abstract

Rubella is the most important preventable cause of fetal malformations. Infection during pregnancy can result in fetal growth restriction, miscarriage, fetal death or it can cause congenital rubella syndrome with visual, auditory and cardiac defects. There are still many developping countries which are endemic for Rubella, despite major vaccination programmes available worldwide. There are no clinical symptoms present in approximately one half of cases, so diagnosis relies on serological testing if infection is suspected. Detection of IgM specific antibodies is the method of choice for diagnosis of both postnatal and congenital rubella. It has high sensitivity, but false positive cases are always possible after infection with other viruses like parvovirus B19, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and measles. Prevention relies on preconception care when it is recommended to check the immunity status for rubella (IgG) and for non-immunized patients, vaccination should be indicated.