This is an automatically translated article.
The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International Hospital
1. Symptoms of Measles in Adults
Adults rarely get measles because most were infected as children and have been immune to it ever since. However, some adults still get measles because they are not immune. When infected, the patient will have an incubation period of 7-21 days (average 10 days), then the disease will spread into specific disease manifestations. Signs of measles include:
High fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache. Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (dry cough, stuffy nose, runny nose). Eyes red, lumpy, watery, afraid of light, swollen eyelids. In the oral cavity on the mucosal surface of the cheeks (inside the mouth, at the level of the maxillary teeth) can be seen small granules 0.5-1 mm in size white/gray with raised erythematous halo. A rash after 3-4 days of high fever, a raised red rash on the skin, appearing from behind the ears, back of the neck, forehead, face, neck, gradually spreading to the trunk and extremities, both on the palms and soles of the feet. . When the rash covers the whole body, the body temperature gradually decreases.
2. The danger of measles in adults
Unlike children, measles in adults will cause many dangerous complications such as encephalitis, paralysis, epilepsy, and stupidity. The mortality rate in patients with complications is quite high, up to 15%.
Pregnant women are also at risk of measles if exposed to the source of the disease. Measles virus can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or low birth weight, birth defects, or primary measles infection. In the first few months of exposure to measles, birth defects in infants can be as high as 50%. The second month of measles infection, birth defects will be 22%, the third month is 6%.
Note, pregnant women cannot vaccinate against measles although currently there is no evidence of the rate of congenital abnormalities in children whose mothers were vaccinated against measles during pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women when going out should wear a mask, wash their hands often and disinfect their nose and throat. Pregnant women should eat enough nutrients to increase resistance and need to keep the living environment fresh, airy and clean.
More worryingly, the sequelae of measles in adults are often not recognized to prevent timely. Usually, after the fever and rash are gone, some patients think they are completely cured. But then the high fever again, headache, convulsions, change of consciousness from confusion to coma, possibly quadriplegia, circular muscle disorder will appear, that is when the disease has become complicated. to meningitis or myelitis other serious complications such as pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, conjunctivitis - cornea leading to corneal ulceration, blindness.
Health experts said, due to the notion that measles can only appear in children, adults are often subjective when they have measles, without isolation measures, nutritional care regimens as well as good hygiene. This causes the disease to easily spread in the community and can lead to serious complications.
3. Notes when treating measles in adults
Principles of treatment:
Treat the symptoms that occur and combine patient care including personal hygiene and nutrition through food. Timely detection when complications occur to conduct treatment. Specifically, for measles, if eligible for care and isolation, the sick person can be cared for and treated at home. Attention should be paid to poor hygiene and nutrition to contribute to the improvement of the condition. Patients need to clean and take care of their teeth, eyes, and body. In addition, the patient's diet needs to supplement vitamin A. According to research, vitamin A supplementation reduces measles deaths by 50%. In addition, vitamin A deficiency can cause complications such as corneal ulcers, even blindness.
When the patient has a high fever, it is necessary to take quick measures to reduce the fever. At the same time, the patient should be placed in a cool place, avoiding drafts. It is necessary for the patient to drink enough water and use more fruit juices to avoid dehydration due to high fever.
Isolation of patients infected with measles : Limit meeting and contact with other people, including family members. If you need someone to take care of you, you should wear a mask regularly to avoid spreading the disease.
4. Early detection of complications of measles in adults
To prevent complications of measles, it is necessary to note and monitor the following symptoms in the patient:
Monitor the patient's temperature in 2 cases: the patient no longer has red spots on the skin but still has a fever and illness The patient's fever subsided, but then the fever returned. The patient has a sudden cough, each time he sees an increase in the frequency of the patient's cough or the sound of his cough, the patient begins to feel more tired. The disease becomes more severe, the patient has symptoms such as: abnormal breathing, tachycardia, more lethargy. In case the patient has the above symptoms, it is necessary to quickly conduct a medical examination so that complications can be detected and treated promptly.
5. Treatment of measles in adults with complications
When measles in adults has caused complications, the following should be noted:
The sick person needs to be treated and cared for in hospitals at the district level or higher. If the patient has infectious complications: antibiotics should be used depending on the type of complication. If the patient has complications of encephalitis: Anti-inflammatory, anti-brain edema, anticonvulsant. Other treatments and care that may be taken include: Rehydration with electrolytes, suctioning of sputum. Give oxygen or provide respiratory support if respiratory failure occurs. Aerosol only needs to be applied in special cases such as pharyngitis, severe laryngeal edema. Conclusion: Adults are often subjective to measles and think that they will never get infected. However, measles in adults is also very dangerous, even fatal if complications occur. So when we have measles, we should go to a medical facility for treatment advice and at the same time avoid infection. others.
Vinmec International General Hospital is currently providing immunization services with a variety of vaccines for different audiences, from infants, young children, adults, and women before and during pregnancy . Including vaccines MMR II & Diluent Inj 0.5ml of MMD company in the US. Vaccines are imported and stored in a modern cold storage system, with a cold chain that meets GSP standards, keeping vaccines in the best conditions to ensure quality. Underwent general supervision before, during and after vaccination at Vinmec Health System and always have an emergency team ready to coordinate with the vaccination department to handle cases of anaphylaxis, respiratory failure - circulatory arrest, ensuring Ensure timely and correct handling when incidents occur.
To register for child vaccination, please directly contact the call center of the Hospital or Vinmec Clinic nationwide or make an appointment on the website for service.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
