Cytomegalovirus - not everyone knows what kind of disease it is. Both a child and an adult can get sick with pathology, regardless of age. According to statistics, about 80% of people are infected with cytomegalovirus. An interesting fact is that once infected, a person becomes forever infected with this virus. But if the immune system is strong, life is measured and without much stress, the virus exists peacefully in the body.
Features
Many have heard about cytomegalovirus, but they don't understand what kind of disease it is. The causative agent is herpetic virus type 5. It is activated when immunity decreases.
The name of the disease is not accidental. Once in the body, the virus disrupts the structure of tissues, fills them with fluid and increases the size of the cells. Vital activity of the virus is preserved at room temperature. It is resistant to antibiotics but sensitive to ether and disinfectants.
Forms and symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of cytomegalovirus (what kind of disease is indicated above) are different, since the disease can take the following forms:
- The common cold or SARS.
- Pneumonia,bronchitis with damage to internal organs.
- Inflammation of the kidneys that is difficult to treat.
- No symptoms or major manifestations.
In men, the nature of the course of the disease is most often erased.
If the disease proceeds in the form of an acute cytomegalovirus infection, then in terms of symptoms it is similar to infectious mononucleosis. Lymph nodes are enlarged, body temperature is kept at 38 degrees. The person feels weak, he quickly gets tired, he has no appetite.
In addition, there are muscle, joint, headaches. Inflamed tonsils, sore throat. In most cases, recovery occurs within 14 days.
The described symptoms of the disease in cytomegalovirus infection are also similar to SARS. However, a simple cold lasts about 2 weeks, and an acute period of cytomegalovirus can last 1-1.5 months.
The incubation period of the virus lasts for 20-60 days. During this time period, the virus actively multiplies and is isolated. A person becomes dangerous, and this condition can last for 2-3 years.
In severe cases, cough, gastrointestinal disturbances, liver damage, chest pain, jaundice may occur.
In people with immunodeficiency, the course of the disease is most severe, as the virus spreads quite quickly throughout the body. It leads to damage to the central nervous system, complicated by convulsions or even coma. There is severe diarrhea, the retina of the organs of vision is affected,liver. Breathing becomes difficult and pneumonia sets in.
Newborns who have received cytomegalovirus infection in utero may get sick:
- jaundice;
- pneumonia;
- small purplish rash.
Their liver and spleen increase in size. Birth weight is usually underweight. Such children have small heads.
With intrauterine cytomegalovirus infection, most children experience small skin hemorrhages. 67% have jaundice, 53% have microcephaly, 50% have malnutrition, 34% have prematurity, and 20% have hepatitis.
If the virus enters the male body sexually, then pain may occur during urination. There is damage to the tissues of the testicles and urethra. If the virus enters the body of a woman in the same way, then it often leads to the development of vaginitis, erosion, endometritis, and inflammatory processes in the ovaries. White-blue discharge appears from the vagina.
Methods of transmission of the virus
What is it - cytomegalovirus, and how the disease is transmitted, many do not know. There are 4 main paths:
- Airborne. An infected person transmits the infection by coughing, sneezing, talking, kissing. Even being in a closed space with a carrier of cytomegalovirus, you can become infected with the disease.
- Sexual infection. Cytomegalovirus infection is transmitted through semen or vaginal secretions.
- Vertical. Pregnant women, carrierscytomegalovirus can infect your baby. During lactation, a mother can transmit the virus to her baby.
- Transmissive. Transfusion of contaminated blood.
Called cytomegalovirus and kissing disease. Even when in contact with an object that has urine particles, the saliva of a sick person can become infected with this disease.
Most people become infected in kindergarten or nursery, where there is close contact between children. At 10-35 years old, it is also possible to become infected, but the probability of this is quite low.
How does the body react to the virus?
At the first encounter with the virus, as a rule, there are no symptoms. Only 2% of people have an increase in body temperature, sore throat, muscles, joints, fever, swollen lymph nodes.
If a person's immunity is not weakened, then, as a rule, complications do not occur. Of particular danger is congenital cytomegalovirus infection - an infectious disease is already present in a child as soon as he is born.
Women most commonly contract the virus from young children. According to statistics, 10% of children infected during fetal development are found to have a variety of congenital pathologies.
When asked why cytomegalovirus is dangerous, it is worth remembering that it belongs to the group of Torch infections that affect the abnormal development of the fetus and the appearance of pathologies. A woman can become infected with the virus before pregnancy or while carrying a child. In the first case, the clinical manifestations of the diseasewill be absent, and specific antibodies will be detected in the blood. The described situation is not dangerous either for the expectant mother or for the fetus. The risk of complications is not more than 1%.
If the infection occurred during pregnancy, the risk to the fetus is 30-50%. On average, 10-15% of children are diagnosed with various pathologies caused by cytomegalovirus.
A child may have impaired hearing or vision, seizures, or intrauterine growth retardation. Even microcephaly, or a reduction in brain size, is possible. After the baby is born, neurological symptoms may be observed. The child may lag behind in mental and physical development.
Which doctors should I contact for help?
If you suspect a cytomegalovirus, the appearance of its symptoms, you should contact an infectious disease specialist. Children also need to see a neurologist.
Keep in mind that in cytomegalovirus disease, causes, symptoms and treatment are interrelated.
Diagnostic Methods
Already by a general blood test, one can suspect the existence of a cytomegalovirus infection. As a result of the analysis, the level of leukocytes will exceed 50%, and atypical lymphocytes will make up to a tenth of all blood cells.
Regardless of the causes and symptoms, the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection, even with the slightest suspicion of a disease, involves the following studies:
- DNA diagnostics or PCR. Using this method, it is possible to determine whether there is pathogen DNA in the taken biomaterials. The study has a high accuracy of about 95% andthe result can be obtained within a few days from the date of delivery of biomaterials.
- ELISA. Detects the presence of antibodies to cytomegalovirus in the blood serum. Examine the amount of immunoglobulins IgG and IgM. A high level of the first indicator indicates that a person is initially infected. The same indicator can also grow when the virus is reactivated, but not at the same rate as in the first. If the second type of immunoglobulins is detected, this means that the body has not met this virus for the first time. These antibodies persist for life. When the virus is activated, their number may increase.
Only a specialist can decipher the analysis. Specific antibodies to the virus can appear within 1 month from the moment of infection. If the result is in doubt, the doctor will prescribe a second study.
If, in addition to cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus is detected, then the infection test will most likely be positive. Both of these viruses belong to the herpes group.
To diagnose the likelihood of liver damage, determine the amount of bilirubin. Carry out AST and ALT diagnostics.
Complications of the disease
The disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as the fetus can adopt the disease from the mother. But this does not happen in every case, but only when cytomegaloviruses are found in the blood of the expectant mother. If a woman becomes infected with the virus after conceiving a child, then the likelihood of infection of the fetus increases significantly.
Cytomegalovirus can lead to spontaneous abortion, severe pathologiesfetus, congenital cytomegaly. In addition, when asked what diseases cytomegalovirus causes, you should know that such pathologies may appear:
- Anemia.
- Jaundice.
- Bleeding and hemorrhages in organs.
- Enlarged liver and spleen.
- Thrombohemorrhagic syndrome.
Cytomegalovirus disease in children leads to pathologies of the respiratory system, central nervous system, organs of vision, salivary glands and kidneys. Death is possible in 30% of cases.
Diseases do not always lead to complications. Many adults easily tolerate the disease. In this case, the disease proceeds imperceptibly without visible symptoms. However, in some he althy people, pain in the abdomen and muscles, diarrhea are possible as complications.
Immunocompromised people may experience:
- chorioretinitis;
- colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis;
- encephalitis;
- peripheral nerve damage;
- pneumonia;
- damage to the heart muscle, skin.
Treatment
What kind of disease is cytomegalovirus and how to treat it, only doctors know. But if the patient's immune system is in good condition, then treatment may not be required. The disease will resolve on its own in 1-2 weeks.
In the event that the cytomegalovirus has acquired a generalized form, then the infectious disease specialist prescribes a stay in the hospital. Immunomodulating, restorative, antiviral groups of drugs are used.
At high temperature,muscle pain is prescribed "Paracetomol", "Ibuprofen". During treatment, it is necessary to observe a plentiful drinking regimen. It will help not only to reduce the symptomatic manifestation of the disease, but also to avoid dehydration.
In the presence of immunodeficiency, it is necessary to take antiviral drugs. They will not help to completely get rid of the virus, but slow down its reproduction.
With cytomegalovirus, the diagnosis of the disease, symptoms and treatment are of interest to many. Drugs commonly prescribed for therapy include:
- Foscarnet. Enter intravenously. The half-life of the drug is 2-4 hours. Excreted by the kidneys. Uncontrolled use of the drug can lead to immunosuppression, bone marrow depression, impaired kidney and liver function.
- "Ganciclovir". It must be taken with food. If necessary, the drug is administered intravenously. The drug has a high activity. It accumulates in body cells infected with the virus. Its concentration in them exceeds 30-120 times compared with blood plasma. The drug also has a high penetration into tissues and fluids. Most of the drug is excreted by the kidneys. The half-life is 3.3 hours. But with renal failure, it increases to 20 hours. The dosage of the drug is determined by the doctor.
During treatment, it is necessary to donate blood for analysis every 2 days. If the result is severe neuropenia or thrombocytopenia, then the medication is immediately stopped.
Both Foscarnet and"Ganciclovir" refers to cytostatics. Therapy with them can be supplemented with immunostimulants, for example, "Cycloferon" or hematopoietic stimulants.
Cytotect can be prescribed as a replacement therapy. This preparation contains specific antibodies to cytomegalovirus. Individual intolerance is possible. In this case, headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, tachycardia, shortness of breath, cyanosis, chills, hyperthermia, increased sweating, myalgia will appear. Such symptoms can appear literally half an hour after the start of treatment, and persist for the first day.
The use of antiviral agents should be under medical supervision, as drugs from this group have many side effects. They need to be taken for 2 weeks.
Treatment of newborns is carried out in special departments of perinatal centers. For the treatment of babies, Ganciclovir or Valganciclovir is used. After discharge, children should regularly visit a neurologist.
For the treatment of children, drugs are used that suppress the activity of the virus. It is also important to put the infection into a latent phase and prevent possible complications.
Children may be prescribed these drugs:
- Glycyrrhizic acid derived from licorice root.
- Proteflazid.
- Herbal teas based on viburnum, St. John's wort, lemon balm, rosehip.
Prevention measures
There is currently no vaccine against cytomegalovirus infection. Furthermore,It is impossible to completely get rid of the virus. Mankind has not yet invented such drugs. Therefore, in the treatment, first of all, attention is paid to the modulation of immunity, in the second - to vitamin therapy.
Since the virus is transmitted by contact, it is necessary to carefully monitor personal hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing and eating food. The same should be done after changing the baby's diaper or after going to the toilet.
Prevent the emergence and development of cytomegalovirus will help strengthen the immune system. It is important to identify the disease at an early stage of development. Particularly careful monitoring is necessary for pregnant women. It is advisable to avoid contact with small children, do not kiss them and do not eat food from the same dish.
If a blood transfusion or organ transplant is required, the potential donor must have a blood test for cytomegalovirus. If the infection occurred during pregnancy, then a special treatment tactic is prescribed.
An active, he althy lifestyle, complete, proper nutrition are also important as prevention. To strengthen the immune system, you can use hardening, dousing.
Conclusion
Symptoms, treatment and consequences of cytomegalovirus infection are of interest to many. The virus is very insidious and can lead to sad complications. Do not postpone a visit to a specialist and self-medicate. Only a doctor will be able to choose the most effective therapy for this infection, calculate the correct dose and regimen.treatment.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should take special care of their he alth, since cytomegalovirus is the most dangerous for their children, because the possibility of death cannot be completely excluded.
When planning a pregnancy, even before the conception of a baby, it is advisable to be tested for cytomegalovirus. So the woman will be able to verify the presence or absence of this virus. If the result of the analysis is positive, then you should definitely visit the appropriate specialist.
Cytomegalovirus is not a reason not to get pregnant, but it is necessary to suppress its activity. In addition, it will be necessary to regularly take tests and monitor titers. It is important that the pathogen does not become active during the bearing of the child.
In the presence of cytomegalovirus, only a doctor will tell you about the treatment of cytomegalovirus, so you should not postpone a visit to a specialist.
