Currently, there are viral infectious diseases that can be asymptomatic, and can affect the internal organs and central nervous system. One of them is CMV. What is this infection, is it necessary to treat it? We’ll talk about this.
Infection pathways
CMV causes a representative of the herpesvirus family - cytomegalovirus. Previously, it was assumed that infection occurs only through saliva and kisses. However, later scientists found that the virus can be transmitted transplantally (from mother to fetus), through sexual contact, through the household, as well as through transplantation of tissues, organs, and blood transfusions.
“CMV - what is it?”, This question is often asked by pregnant women, as they worry about their child. The mentioned infection is not dangerous for people, since 50% of the adult population are its carriers. Many of them are not even aware of its existence. But the disease can lead to grave consequences for a baby whose mother first became infected with the virus during pregnancy.
Preventive measures
When transfusion, the blood of healthy donors is used. Patients at risk are shown the use of immunoglobulin. To prevent a congenital infection, the mother should limit contact with sick adults and young children, wash her hands more often, have separate dishes and a towel. If the baby was born to a mother with active cytomegalovirus, but has no signs of disease, then she should not be breast-fed.
CMV - what kind of animal is it, and whether it is necessary to treat it
In order to figure out whether to undergo treatment, it is necessary to undergo a full examination and determine the symptoms of the disease. As a rule, doctors suggest donating blood for CMV. The ELISA method determines the presence of antibodies to cytomegalovirus. Several possible outcomes are possible:
- IgM - no; IgG - no. The body does not know this virus, there is no immunity to it. If a blood test for CMV is just such in a pregnant woman, then she should limit all contacts with possible carriers of infection.
- IgM - no; IgG - yes. Infection has long happened, and the immune system keeps the infection under control. The risk of transmitting the virus to pregnant women in this case does not exceed 1%.
- IgM - yes, IgG - no. Infection has occurred recently, the body is fighting the virus. Pregnancy should be planned after the disappearance of IgM antibodies and the appearance of IgG (several weeks).
- IgM - yes, IgG - yes. CMV decoding in this case can be interpreted in two ways: either infection has occurred recently, and both classes of antibodies are present in the blood, or a long-standing infection has reactivated. Pregnancy should be planned after the disappearance of IgM antibodies.
Treatment is carried out only if along with the active phase the symptoms of the disease appear. In the absence of signs of a cold or damage to internal organs in adults, therapy is not required.
CMV Treatment
What is this disease, we have established. Since this disease causes a herpes virus infection, its therapy is very problematic. The fact is that it is impossible to completely “expel” the virus from the body: it simply falls asleep and is in a latent form (like herpes simplex - once infected, a person will never get rid of it). To suppress the active virus, immunomodulating and antiviral agents are used, which are prescribed only by a doctor. Self-medication is not strictly recommended, since some of the drugs are ineffective and even lead to unforeseen reactions.