congenital rubella syndrome
a complex of congenital defects in infants whose mothers were infected by the rubella virus early in pregnancy. The defects may include deafness, cataracts, heart disease, and microcephaly (small head). Neurological abnormalities occur in about 80% of affected individuals, and brain weight is usually subnormal. Psychomotor retardation, marked by general lack of response to stimuli, and intellectual impairment are common. In developed nations, rubella vaccination has resulted in a massive decline in the occurrence of this syndrome. See also German measles.