PREGNANCY: VIRUS INFECTIONS
Cytomegalovirus Infections (CMV). Infection with this virus is common among adults, and it often passes unrecognized. However, should a pregnant woman become infected for the first time, the virus readily passes the placental barriers into the developing embryo. Here, serious consequences can occur. In fact, in many cases it causes the death of the developing infant. But in instances where it survives, severe neo-natal illness invariably follows.
The liver is affected, and jaundice can occur to a severe degree. But the most important defect is in the brain. The virus is responsible for serious neurological complications which frequently result in mental retardation. In fact, about 10 per cent of the cases of mental retardation in the United Kingdom are allegedly due to CMV infections before birth. At best, treatment is poor, and the outlook for babies affected before birth is grave.
Other Viral Infections. Since the recognition of these two well-established viral foes to developing infants, a large amount of investigation has been carried out with other common forms of viral infection.
Although the evidence is not so concrete, it seems that almost any viral infection during early pregnancy may, in some cases, produce developmental problems. The common cold, due to an ever-changing number of related viruses, and various forms of influenza, have also been incriminated.
No doubt time and more research will give a clearer picture of their virulence and danger in the pregnancy picture.
Poliomyelitis is fortunately a disease that has almost vanished from the scene of Western medicine. But sporadic cases are still reported. It is worth noting that pregnant women are quite prone to this very disabling disease, and the risks of paralysis, it seems, are more likely in the early stages of the disease.
Therefore, women who have not received immunisation against polio are advised to have this carried out. This is even more important if they intend travelling in the near future to a country where polio is still rampant, and there are many countries in the world where this is the case.
Bacterial Infections. Two other infections are worthy of mention. These are both venereal in nature, and are represented by gonorrhoea and syphilis. Both may have an adverse effect on the developing embryo, as well as having serious repercussions on the parent if left untreated.
Both diseases are produced by bacteria. Therefore, they are much more amenable to treatment. Massive doses of currently used antibiotics can quickly destroy the bacteria before they can do much harm to the embryo, provided therapy is instituted promptly.
However, there must be a history of sexual contact (presumably with an infected partner) before these diseases can be contracted. Both diseases have been fairly quiet until very recent times, when both have shown a marked upsurge in activity. It is now well recognized that promiscuous living and a variety of sexual partners constitute the most common way of contracting either or both of these diseases.
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