Clinical Studies of Patients with Rubella Syndrome Occurring in a High Incidence in the Ryukyu Islands in 1965: On the Diagnostic Significance of Clinical Manifestations |
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| Authors: | Kohji Ueda M.D., &dagger ,Yukiaki Nishida M.D.,,Masaaki Kano M.D.,,Kenji Oshima M.D.,,Kazuaki Takabayashi M.D.,Hirohisa Kato M.D.,Masaaki Nagafuchi M.D.,,Masayoshi Takesue M.D,,Yoshiaki Yoshizawa M.D., Tokuro Nagayama M.D. |
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| Affiliation: | *Departments of Pediatrics, Kyusyu University;**Otorhinolaryngology, Kyusyu University;***Ophthalmology, Kyusyu University;†Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Health Science, Kyusyu University |
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| Abstract: | The 620 cases with a history of maternal rubella and/or with one or more of cataract, CHD and deafness born in the Ryukyu Islands in 1965 were subjected to clinical studies and 360 cases were diagnosed as rubella syndrome. Rubella retinopathy makes a reliable diagnostic basis for rubella syndrome. As for the typical combination of clinical manifestations, the cases with cataract have CHD, deafness and retinopathy; the cases with CHD not accompanied by cataract have deafness and retinopathy; and the cases with deafness not accompanied by cataract and CHD either have or have not retinopathy. The cases with cataract alone or with CHD can extremely rarely be denned as having rubella syndrome. There existed the close relationship between the combination of clinical manifestations and the time of maternal rubella infection. The main clinical manifestations of rubella syndrome are cataract, congenital heart disease (CHD), and deafness appearing singly or two or more together1)2). Etiology of the congenital cataract, CHD, or deafness is mostly not explained; and only a small portion of the incidence is due to intrauterine rubella infection. For the future of the patients in the above conditions and for their parents, clarification as to whether they are or are not due to rubella is very important. Current general practice for the diagnosis of rubella syndrome is laboratory diagnosis that measures rubella hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies3)4). As the infants grows in age, the above mentioned technique may not assure an absolute judgment5)6). This makes it necessary to arrive at diagnosis from the clinical findings. A prompt, direct diagnosis from the clinical findings alone will be very convenient. In the Ryukyu Islands where there was a high incidence of rubella syndrome in infants in the second half of 1965, we analyzed clinical findings of the affected children with cataract, CHD or deafness on the basis of serological diagnosis. The diagnostic significance of the clinical findings was so studied. Hence our report in this paper. |
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