In this article, we will look at the symptoms and treatment of cytomegalovirus. What is the infection?
Today it is widespread among people. This infection is classified as sexual, but with a big stretch. True, it is transmitted precisely during close physical contact through human fluids in the form of saliva, tears, mucus, semen and blood. We will discuss the symptoms and treatment of cytomegalovirus in more detail below.
Basic information about the disease
For a he althy person, infection with this virus is completely safe, if it manifests itself, then its symptoms are similar to a cold. As a rule, such symptoms go away on their own without any treatment and serious consequences. After its transfer, antibodies may remain in the blood, which will protect the human body from re-infection for the rest of its life. The symptoms and treatment of cytomegalovirus are closely related.
But among people with a poor immune system, the disease sometimes occurshard enough. In them, this virus can cause irreversible damage to the nervous, and at the same time, the respiratory and genitourinary systems. At risk, as a rule, are unborn or premature children, along with pregnant women, whose body has not previously encountered cytomegalovirus. In addition, AIDS patients and those undergoing immunosuppressive treatment are directly at risk.
Treatment of cytomegalovirus in children will be discussed below.
How is cytomegalovirus transmitted?
In the external environment, cytomegalovirus is quite stable. He is able to survive for hours or even whole days. You can catch the virus on the background of any repeated and close contact with a person in whom this infection is at an active stage. Thus, kissing is contagious in the first place, along with sharing towels, dishes, and hygiene products.
Kids can get infected from their mothers through milk, and as for older children, they pick up the pathogen from their parents in a domestic way and from peers during games. Adults get this infection during sex, as well as in the standard household way. Rarely, it can occur during a blood transfusion or as a result of an organ transplant. The incubation period can vary from a couple of days to several weeks.
The sooner cytomegalovirus treatment is started, the better.
Symptoms of the disease in people with he althy immunity
The main target of this virus is primarily the epithelial cells that line the mucous membranes. Exceptmoreover, it lives in the glandular tissues and multiplies in the salivary glands. It can also spread to the prostate or pancreas. The virus can also infect nerve tissue. Testimonials about the treatment of cytomegalovirus abound.
The course of this disease directly depends on the initial state of the immune system. In the event that a person’s he alth is excellent, then the symptoms of cytomegalovirus may be completely absent. But often the primary infection is similar to the common cold, against which there are sore throats along with malaise, weakness, cough, pain in the muscles and joints, fever up to thirty-eight degrees. This disease can last for about three weeks, and it usually goes away on its own, after which the culprit pathogen goes dormant and is under the control of the immune system.
Treatment of cytomegalovirus in women and men can be difficult. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely get rid of the disease. Being in a dormant state, it is out of reach from the body's defenses. But in cases of reactivation of this virus or new external contact with it, the body will be ready for instant defense. Antibodies that remain in the blood serum after the first infection will cope with it so effectively the second time that a person will not even have time to notice anything, and later the fact of the disease can be established only by the results of the tests.
In Russia, the carriers of cytomegalovirus aresixty percent of the population over the age of six. Moreover, all of them are potentially dangerous for those who cannot deal with this pathogen. Among the elderly, the carrier rate for this virus reaches ninety-one percent.
Let's take a closer look at the treatment of cytomegalovirus in women.
Cytomegalovirus in immunocompromised patients
In absolutely all pregnant women, the body deliberately weakens the immune system in order to protect itself from the fact that the developing fetus can be mistaken for a foreign element. Primary infection with cytomegalovirus against the background of gestation is especially dangerous for the baby, and the mother may have serious complications after this disease.
Also at risk are people with autoimmune diseases, patients after organ transplantation or chemotherapy treatment due to oncological pathology. Those infected with AIDS should be completely afraid of any alien microbes. For all of the above categories of people, this infection poses a serious danger.
It can be very difficult to choose a treatment regimen for cytomegalovirus for them.
Thus, complications can be as follows:
- The appearance of inflammation of the liver tissues (that is, hepatitis). At the same time, a lightning-fast, and sometimes even failure of the functions of an organ with the development of rapidly progressive liver failure is not ruled out.
- The appearance of inflammation of the retina, which, if not properly treated, can result in complete blindness.
- Development of inflammationcolon mucosa in the form of viral colitis.
- The development of pneumonia, that is, pneumonia.
- Development of inflammation of the esophageal mucosa in the form of viral esophagitis.
- Formation of inflammation of the white, and, in addition, the gray matter of the brain. Thus, patients may develop encephalitis or myelitis along with viral meningitis. It is not excluded the appearance of inflammation of the nerve fibers in the form of polyneuropathy and neuritis of the auditory nerve.
Without proper treatment, these conditions can pose a serious threat to he alth and life as well. They can cause various irreversible processes. As part of preventive measures in such cases, antiviral drugs are used. Therapy for cytomegalovirus is carried out by Valganciclovir, and drugs such as Ganciclovir or Cidofovir are also used.
Among other things, be sure to constantly monitor the antibody titer with the viral load. A course of immunostimulating treatment is being carried out, vitamins with immunomodulators are prescribed. In this case, "Interferon" is very often used. It should be emphasized that even during pregnancy, the potential risk of prescribing drugs is much lower than the risk associated with intrauterine infection of the fetus.
Cytomegalovirus during pregnancy
Most women experience cytomegalovirus for the first time before conception. In the event that this fact is reliably known, then you can not be afraid of it. In cases of reactivation of this infectionduring gestation, the risk of transmitting the virus from mother to child is only one percent. At the same time, the direct risk of pathologies in the fetus is only 0.1%. These numbers, of course, are not zero, but against the background of other dangers, such probabilities are not serious.
In the event that a woman is planning a child or just thinking about it, or she is among the representatives of childbearing age, leading a constant sexual life, she should certainly check in advance whether she has antibodies to cytomegalovirus. To do this, it will be quite enough to pass only one analysis for the presence of latent infections. The result should be saved.
The most unfavorable is the primary infection with this virus during pregnancy. Under this condition, the virus can be transmitted to the baby in forty percent of cases. And the risk of subsequent occurrence of pathologies in him will be equal to nine percent. On average, as statistics show, one child per one hundred and fifty newborns is born with a congenital form of cytomegalovirus. Eighty percent of these children do not have severe symptoms of cytomegalovirus. True, the absence of symptoms does not protect against possible consequences.
The outcome of infection, as a rule, depends on the period at which the infection occurred. At the beginning of gestation, cytomegalovirus is often one of the most common causes of a frozen, and at the same time, non-developing pregnancy. The reason for the termination of pregnancy against the background of infection lies in the developmental anomalies of the fetus, which are incompatible with life. In this way,the body itself prevents the subsequent birth of a seriously ill child. In the event that such a protective mechanism fails, then a child will be born with developmental anomalies, the severity of which will fluctuate within fairly large limits. The most serious pathologies include the absence of a brain (that is, the development of anencephaly), and in addition, microcephaly (when a child is born with an abnormally small head).
Symptoms and treatment of cytomegalovirus in children
The presence of congenital cytomegalovirus in children is very often the cause of jaundice and skin rashes. In addition, this infection can cause seizures and viral pneumonia. In addition, weight loss is possible along with intrauterine growth retardation, seizures, blindness, deafness, and mental retardation. In the absence of serious illnesses, he alth problems may manifest themselves at a later age. Children who have had a congenital cytomegalovirus infection are more likely than others to have problems associated with coordination and learning, among other things, they are significantly behind their peers in development.
An infectious disease doctor together with a pediatrician is treating children with an illness.
A drug that will completely eliminate cytomegalovirus from the body has not been developed. Therapy was carried out with antiherpetic compounds, but not too successfully.
The doctor may prescribe Ganciclovir, although it is rarely used in young patients due to its high toxicity.
Conductdiagnostics
The basis for the diagnosis of this virus is the enzyme immunoassay. This method is based on the detection of specific antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body in response to a viral invasion. The more aggressive the disease is, the higher the antibody titer will be. During the acute phase, the growth of antibody titer is carried out due to immunoglobulins from the "M" class. In the presence of chronic infection, the titer of antibodies to cytomegalovirus from class G increases. The treatment regimen for cytomegalovirus in women is presented below.
Doctors are advised to conduct such testing immediately if symptoms of SARS appear in women who are in position. In the presence of a high titer of M-immunoglobulins, prophylactic therapy with antiviral agents is carried out. Such a strategy helps prevent severe complications in the developing fetus.
How to treat an infection
Cytomegalovirus infection is treated comprehensively, while therapy should include drugs that are aimed directly at combating the pathogen. In parallel, drugs should increase the protective function of the body, strengthening the immune system. At present, unfortunately, a remedy has not yet been invented that would provide a complete treatment for cytomegalovirus in adults and children.
This pathogen remains in the human body forever. The main goal of therapy for the presented virus is the complete suppression of its activity. People who carry the virus should try to maintain a he althy lifestylelife, eating well and consuming the amount of vitamins necessary for he alth.
Drugs for the treatment of cytomegalovirus, of course, should be prescribed by a doctor.
In cases of activation of the virus, it is forbidden to self-medicate, this is unacceptable. Be sure to contact a specialist. He will prescribe the right therapy, in combination with which immunomodulating agents will be prescribed. Treatment of cytomegalovirus is not easy.
Active searches
Currently, an active search is underway to develop an effective drug that can cope with infections that belong to the herpes family of the fifth type. Cytomegalovirus infection also belongs to this category. Today, there are many medicines that can successfully cope with a large number of all kinds of viruses, but, unfortunately, they remain completely powerless against cytomegalovirus.
Drugs for the treatment of cytomegalovirus
Doctors often prescribe Cycloferon or Polyoxidonium as part of the fight against this pathogen, but the effectiveness of these drugs in suppressing cytomegalovirus is questioned.
All drugs for therapy are divided into several groups:
- Symptomatic - to relieve symptoms of infection.
- Antiviral agents - Panavir, Ganciclovir, Foscarnet.
- Immunomodulators - Roferon, Neovir, Viferon, Cycloferon.
- Immunoglobulins - Cytotect,Megalotect, NeoCytotec.
Treatment of cytomegalovirus in children should be comprehensive.
Prophylaxis
Prophylactic measures are only appropriate for immunodeficient patients, suitable for pregnant women who do not have class G antibodies, they should:
- Be especially careful to follow the basic rules of hygiene. Hands need to be washed not as usual, but carefully, you need to turn off the tap with a napkin and take any handles in public places only with gloves.
- It is recommended to avoid all contact with children, as they are the ones who are contagious in the first place.
- Intimacy should be completely abandoned, and in addition, kissing, especially if the partner is immune to this virus. Reactivation can happen at any time, and then it becomes contagious.
Thus, today cytomegalovirus is a very common infection, absolutely safe for most people. Only pregnant women and patients with immunodeficiencies should be afraid of it. This category of people must follow special preventive measures in order not to get infected.
We looked at the symptoms and treatment of cytomegalovirus in adults and children.
