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Cytomegalovirus the child

Threat cytomegalovirus causes serious infection asymptomatic, remaining latent in the future until the end of life. Clinically significant symptoms are noticeable with weakened immune system. This disease leads to deterioration of health. In children this infection can affect any organ of the body, causing pneumonia, fever of unknown origin, hepatitis, myelitis, encephalitis, colitis, retinitis, and neuropathy.

Typically, children are infected in a long period of fetal development. In addition, cases are known when the baby acquired the virus from mother during feeding or during childhood. During latent cytomegalovirus in young children proceeds with a very mild clinical manifestations. In rare cases we can observe a similar clinical picture, as in SARS or the flu. But unlike colds this viral infection is characterized by prolonged course.

Cytomegalovirus in children with good health flows are always asymptomatic. While babies with a weakened immune system it is disguised as a mononucleosis. Symptoms of mononucleosis often disappear after a few weeks. You should not consider this harmless virus disease. It can lead to serious consequences. Especially dangerous congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Immediately after infection, virus present in the child's body, inactive. However, the reduced immunity in most cases, to provoke its activity.

The transmission of the virus to the developing fetus is through the mother's blood. The typical symptoms of birth of the infected child are enlargement of the liver and the spleen and liver, severe damage to the respiratory system in the form of interstitial pneumonia or bronchitis, as well as the presence of petechiae or hemorrhagic rash.

The Central parts of the nervous system of the child are considered most vulnerable to the damaging properties of the virus. It is proved that the result of congenital infection is not only encephalitis, microcephaly and hydrocephalus, but also deafness and optic nerve atrophy. Often the child is diagnosed various disorders of mental and motor activities. Because the lesion is severe generalized character hallmarkscongenital infection.

Numerous symptoms that often occur in children after infection of dangerous cytomegalovirus depend directly on the state of health and age. In intrauterine infection, the symptoms are practically does not occur immediately after birth. The consequences of the disease become visible much later in the hearing, vision, and various neurological abnormalities and developmental problems.

In some cases, babies diagnosed at birth, jaundice, enlarged liver, can be observed convulsions and skin rash. In very rare cases babies are born underdeveloped. Minimum number of children at high risk of developing all sorts of complications with eyesight and hearing.

A healthy child can also become infected with the cytomegalovirus immediately soon after birth, since the infection is able to penetrate into the child's body through breast milk. In this case, the symptoms are detected very rarely. However, it happens that amid this disease develops hepatitis, pneumonia, and various skin rashes.

The main symptoms of this cytomegalovirus infection in adolescents are fatigue, aches and pain in the muscles, headache and a small fever. This clinical picture is similar with mononucleosis. Adult children almost never increased liver and spleen by infection with cytomegalovirus.

Two weeks from the above discomfort the child passes. Duration of symptoms depends on the age and state of health. The child becomes a carrier of the virus. By direct contact with other children is a transfer of cytomegalovirus. In most cases, children are the main source of disease in the adult population. The most unfavorable situation is not only in kindergartens, but also in schools, as the disease is transmitted by airborne droplets.

Once in the body at the first contact, this virus remains there forever. To date, experts have not been able to achieve complete elimination of infection from the body, despite the regular appearance of effective antiviral drugs. For parents the main task is the strengthening of the immune system of the child. It is extremely important to prevent dangerous exacerbations of cytomegalovirus, which flows in the chronic form.