Clinical aspects of infection during pregnancy

Abstract

Primary infection acquired during pregnancy is asymptomatic in about 60% of cases[1]. When present, signs and symptoms are often so slight that they escape the memory of the majority of patients. The most commonly recognized clinical manifestations are mild and non-specific: fatigue, malaise, low grade fever, myalgia and lymphadenopathy. Lymphadenopathy may be localized (the most characteristic sign is a single lymph node enlargement of the posterior cervical region), or it may involve multiple areas (cervical, suboccipital, supraclavicular, axillary and inguinal), including retroperitoneal and mesenteric nodes. Lymphadenopathy can be tender for a few days and is unattached to overlying skin; in some patients it may persist for as long as 6 months but without tendency towards suppuration.