How dangerous is measles in adults? Distinguishing it from Rubella

Compared to children, measles in adults has a lower incidence, so it is often overlooked and not examined, leading to many dangerous complications. In addition, many people are confused between measles and Rubella. Below, MEDLATEC will share some information so that readers can better understand this disease and be more proactive in protecting their health.

1. Overview of measles

Measles is an acute infectious disease caused by a virus of the Paramyxovirus family. If not treated properly and promptly, measles can lead to many serious complications, especially in children under 5 years old.

Measles is contagious and spreads rapidly.

According to WHO, in 1980, when the measles vaccine was not yet widely available, the number of measles deaths reached 2.6 million. The number of measles deaths in 2012 worldwide reached 122,000.

According to WHO data, in 2023, the number of measles cases in the European region will be more than 300,000. In the Western Pacific region, the number of measles cases will also increase by about 255%. In 2024, Vietnam is among the countries warned of the risk of measles outbreaks in the 5-year cycle.

2. How dangerous is measles?

Measles in adults is often not given as much attention as in children, which leads to a subjective mentality, not seeking medical treatment, leading to many dangerous complications such as encephalitis, paralysis or epilepsy, etc. People who get measles as adults are often not vaccinated or their bodies do not have antibodies. In addition, adults are more subjective in disease prevention because they believe that only children get measles, making the disease easy to spread.

Do not underestimate the danger of measles, even for adults.

Adults with measles may suffer from quadriplegia or sphincter disorders if there are complications such as meningitis or myelitis. In addition, measles patients are also at risk of pneumonia, bronchitis, blindness, etc. Pregnant women with measles are at risk of premature birth, miscarriage, etc.

If the patient is not properly cared for after the fever subsides, the fever may return with symptoms such as headache, convulsions, and coma. The disease is transmitted through the respiratory tract at a rapid rate and can easily become an epidemic.

3. Symptoms of measles in adults

Adults have a relatively low incidence of measles. Because most of them were infected as children and have antibodies from that time. However, measles in adults can still appear in cases where there are no antibodies. Usually, recorded cases have an incubation period of about 7 - 21 days before specific symptoms appear:

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The disease has typical symptoms such as fever, fatigue, rash, etc.

• High fever, always tired.
• Anorexia.
• Headache.
• Upper respiratory tract infection, specific symptoms include dry cough, runny nose, etc.
• Red eyes, gritty eyes, watery eyes, sensitive to light, swollen eyelids.
• Small white or gray particles, about 0.5 – 1mm, appear inside the mouth – across the upper molars.
• Rash appears 2-4 days after high fever. The rash is pink and raised on the skin surface. After the rash appears all over the body, the body temperature will gradually decrease.

4. Distinguishing between measles and rubella

Measles and Rubella are two different diseases but are easily confused because of their names. Here are some distinguishing features:

	Measles	Measles Rubella
Causes of disease	Measles virus belongs to the paramyxovirus family.	Rubella virus belongs to the togavirus family.
Incubation period	7 – 21 days	12 – 23 days
Expression	– Mild to moderate fever at the onset, accompanied by dry cough, runny nose, diarrhea, etc. – General: High fever of 39 degrees Celsius, with symptoms of pink maculopapular rash, skin tension, itching, and discomfort. – Recovery: The rash fades and disappears in the order it appeared, and other symptoms also gradually decrease.	– Onset: Headache, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose. – General: Mild fever of about 38 degrees Celsius accompanied by symptoms in the initial stage. Swollen lymph nodes and rash without any pattern. – Recovery: The rash gradually fades away and leaves no trace on the skin surface.
Complications	High rate of complications, causing danger: – Corneal ulcer. – Interstitial pneumonia, laryngitis, encephalitis,… – Decreased immune function. – Causing miscarriage, stillbirth,… – High risk of death	The complication rate is very low, but noted danger to pregnant women: – Arthritis, encephalitis, otitis media. – Risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, children born with birth defects,…

5. Methods of diagnosing measles

Measles in adults is often diagnosed through clinical manifestations such as fever, conjunctivitis or respiratory tract infection, etc. In particular, the most recognizable sign is the maculopapular rash, but sometimes, some cases do not have typical symptoms. Instead, the patient only has a mild fever, so it is easy to ignore. Therefore, in addition to clinical symptoms, doctors also diagnose the disease through a few methods as follows:

Blood tests combined with other methods to diagnose diseases

• Blood test to detect decreased white blood cell count, lymphocytes and platelets.
• Chest X-rays help detect interstitial pneumonia or damage to lung parenchyma.
• Serological testing for IgM antibodies.
• Gene amplification reaction to isolate virus from blood and nasopharyngeal secretions at an early stage if possible.

The patient will be diagnosed immediately when there is epidemiological information that they have been in contact with a measles patient or in an area with a measles outbreak. Combined with the clinical manifestations of the disease mentioned above, the doctor will then make a final diagnosis.

6. How to treat measles

When detecting measles, the patient needs to voluntarily isolate himself from his family to avoid spreading the virus. The treatment of measles in adults requires careful care, according to the doctor's instructions, specifically:

Treatment of measles in adults is not too complicated but isolation is required to avoid spreading.

• Fever reduction: Patients with high fever need solutions to help reduce fever quickly such as: taking medicine as prescribed by the doctor, drinking fruit juice, resting in a cool area, etc.
• Nutrition: Patients need to be supplemented with all the necessary nutrients and help them recover quickly. Patients need to be supplemented with vitamin A to prevent eye complications caused by measles.
• Hygiene: Patients need to be cared for and isolated at home under the best conditions. Regarding personal hygiene, patients need to take good care of their teeth.

In addition, during treatment, if the patient has symptoms such as high fever, recurrent fever when the rash has faded, rapid heartbeat, lethargy, etc., they should be taken to the hospital immediately for timely medical intervention by doctors.

Above is the information about measles in adults that MEDLATEC has updated for you. If you notice suspicious symptoms in your body, you should quickly visit a reputable medical facility such as MEDLATEC Healthcare System to be examined and treated by a doctor. In addition to going to the hospital, you can also use MEDLATEC's reputable and convenient on-site measles testing service.

Currently, MEDLATEC is implementing many screening packages to help detect diseases early at reasonable costs that you can refer to:

STT	Category	Meaning
1	Blood formula (18 indicators)	Determine blood cell count
2	Urea	Kidney function
3	Creatinine	Kidney function
4	AST	Liver function
5	ALT	Liver function
6	Electrolyte chart: Na/K/Cl	Determine if there is an electrolyte disturbance
7	CRP	Determine the inflammatory index
8	Electrocardiogram	Diagnosis of arrhythmia
9	Chest X-ray	Monitoring of pulmonary complications
10	Ear - nose - throat endoscopy	Check for lesions in the throat

Choose MEDLATEC's convenient and quality on-site testing service

To schedule an appointment for a medical examination or a home sample collection test, please contact MEDLATEC 's hotline 1900 56 56 56 for advice.

Source: https://medlatec.vn/tin-tuc/benh-soi-o-nguoi-lon-nguy-hiem-nhu-the-nao-phan-biet-voi-soi-rubella