According to the first letters of the Latin names of the infections included in it, this group is usually called TORCH infections or infections of the TORCH complex. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that, being relatively harmless for adults and even for children who have had time to form, they are extremely dangerous in the early stages of pregnancy.
TORCH stands for:
- T – toxoplasmosis
- O – other infections (others)
- R – rubella (rubella)
- C – cytomegalovirus infection (cytomegalovirus)
- H – герпес (herpes simplex virus)
The mysterious letter O – others (others) – means such infections affecting the fetus as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, syphilis, chlamydia, gonococcal infection, listeriosis. HIV, chickenpox and enterovirus infections have recently been added to the list.
However, as a rule, only four of the listed diseases are included in the group of TORCH infections: toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes. With this option, the letter O of the abbreviation stands for the second letter of the word toxoplasmosis.
The peculiarity of TORCH infections is that when they are initially infected during pregnancy, they can have a detrimental effect on all systems and organs of the fetus.
The most dangerous thing is to get sick with these diseases in the early stages of pregnancy. Therefore, if, during an examination before pregnancy, antibodies to these infections are found in a woman’s blood, then a woman can safely become pregnant – nothing threatens her child from this side.
If, before pregnancy, antibodies to infections of the TORCH complex are not detected, additional measures will have to be taken in order to protect yourself and your future baby from them.
Based on materials