Medical expert of the article
New publications
Symptoms of adenovirus infection
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Frequent symptoms of adenovirus infection in children - shortness of breath and cough, which from the first days of the disease becomes wet. In young children, coughing is often strong, stubborn, scattered wet and dry wheezing caused by exudative inflammation in the lower respiratory tract may be heard in the lungs.
The pathognomonic symptom of adenovirus infection is the damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes. Conjunctivitis can be catarrhal, follicular, pleural. Affection of the conjunctiva of the eye can occur from the first day of illness or later - on the 3-5th day. Usually, one eye is first affected, on the 2nd day the conjunctiva of the other eye is involved in the process. Older children complain of burning, stinging, sensation of a foreign body in the eyes. The skin of the eyelid is moderately edematous, hyperemic, and the eyes are half open. Conjunctiva sharply hyperemic, granular, edematous. In some cases, a rather dense grayish-white film is visible on the conjunctiva. Most often the lower eyelid is affected, but sometimes the film is located on the upper eyelid. In contrast to the diphtheria of the eye, the film with adenovirus infection never spreads beyond the conjunctiva.
Conjunctivitis is the "visiting card" of adenovirus infection. The appearance of pleural conjunctivitis allows clinically diagnose adenovirus infection.
Because of exudative inflammation the patient's face is pasty, the eyelids are edematous, there is a small purulent discharge from the eyes, abundant discharge from the nose.
With adenovirus infection, a mild increase in the cervical lymph nodes is often found, and a slight increase in the number of liver and spleen is noted. At the height of clinical manifestations in infants, intestinal disorders are possible in the form of a rapid stool (up to 4-5 times a day) without pathological impurities.
In peripheral blood, the number of leukocytes is usually normal; only in the first days of the disease a small leukocytosis with neutrophilia is possible, lymphopenia is noted, ESR is increased slightly.
[Adenovirus infection in newborns and children of the first year of life
Newborns are rarely ill with adenovirus infection due to passive immunity received from the mother transplacentally. However, in the absence of immunity in the mother, newborns are susceptible to the pathogen from the first days of life. Adenovirus infection at this age has some peculiarities. Body temperature is usually subfebrile, symptoms of intoxication are absent, catarrhal symptoms are manifested by nasal congestion, weak cough. Difficult nasal breathing leads to severe anxiety of the child, sleep disorder, rejection of the breast.
In newborns and children of the first year of life, adenovirus infection is often accompanied by a disorder of the stool; enlargement of lymph nodes and conjunctivitis are rare. Often there are bronchitis with obstructive syndrome, pneumonia and other bacterial complications. In preterm infants, the disease can occur with normal or even decreased body temperature.
Despite the worn-out clinical symptoms at the onset of the disease, adenovirus infection in children of the first year of life is severe, and almost all deaths are noted at this age.