Hearing Loss in Children with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Abstract

　 We analyzed the data 21 children with congenital CMV infection. There were 3 cases of hearing loss, including one case of congenital bilateral hearing loss, one case of delayed-onset unilateral hearing loss, and one case of unilateral hearing loss that was thought to be due to an inner ear malformation. The course of hearing loss varied, and we reaffirm the importance of careful hearing follow-up. It is necessary to consider whether there might be other causes of hearing loss in children with congenital CMV infection. The peripheral blood CMV DNA levels were low in all cases, except in one case of symptomatic congenital CMV infection, and deafness could be noted even in cases with low blood viral levels. We encountered a case of congenital CMV infection with hearing loss caused by a nonprimary CMV infection during pregnancy. It is hoped that screening for congenital CMV infection will be performed in all newborns, not only in cases that do not pass the NHS or cases born of mothers with primary CMV infection.