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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffRubella is a mild infection. Once you've had the disease, you're usually permanently immune. Some women with rubella experience arthritis in the fingers, wrists and knees, which generally lasts for about one month. In rare cases, rubella can cause an ear infection (otitis media) or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).
However, if you're pregnant when you contract rubella, the consequences for your unborn child may be severe. Up to 85 percent of infants born to mothers who had rubella during their first 11 weeks of pregnancy develop congenital rubella syndrome. This can cause one or more problems, including:
- Growth retardation
- Cataracts
- Deafness
- Congenital heart defects
- Defects in other organs
- Mental retardation
The highest risk to the fetus is during the first trimester, but exposure later in pregnancy also is dangerous.
- Hornig M, et al. Lack of association between measles virus vaccine and autism with enteropathy: A case-control study. PLoS ONE. 2008;3:e3140.
- MMR vaccine questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/combo-vaccines/mmr/faqs-mmr-hcp.htm. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Rubella: Make sure your child is fully immunized. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Rubella/. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) vaccines. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-mmr.pdf. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Rubella no longer major public health threat in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050321.htm. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Patient page: Rubella. The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2002;287:542.
- Rubella disease in-short (German measles). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rubella/in-short-adult.htm. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Rubella. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch193/ch193e.html. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Passive immunization. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch169/ch169c.html. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Facts for parents about autism and vaccine safety. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/autismfactsforparents.pdf. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Immunization safety review: Vaccines and autism. Institute of Medicine. http://www.iom.edu/?id=20155&redirect=0. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/mmr_vaccine.htm. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Rubella (German measles). March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/printableArticles/14332_1225.asp. Accessed May 25, 2009.
- Hoecker JL. (expert opinion.) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 9, 2009.
- Hoecker JL. (expert opinion.) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 10, 2009.
