Congenital CMV: Standards of care, Knowledge Gaps, and a Story

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common and usually results in a mild, non-specific illness in otherwise healthy individuals, followed by asymptomatic latency. However, congenital CMV (cCMV) infection during fetal development can cause severe symptoms in newborns, including developmental delays, hearing loss, and even death. It is underappreciated that CMV causes more cases of congenital disease than the 29 most commonly screened metabolic and endocrine disorders combined, and that congenital CMV is the leading cause of non-genetic sensorineural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in infants. Early detection of cCMV infection is critical for timely clinical intervention, including treatment with antiviral medications, which may lessen the severity of the hearing and developmental impairments associated with this infection. This seminar will review the standard of care for cCMV diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment, and explore areas of opportunity. The impacts of advocacy and education for cCMV will also be discussed.

 

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