Congenital cytomegalovirus
Overview
Congenital cytomegalovirus: Fetal infection with cytomegalovirus.
Symptoms
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Congenital cytomegalovirus includes the 12 symptoms listed below: * Small head * Intracranial calcifications * Petechiae * Thrombocytopenia * Jaundice * Hearing loss * Inguinal hernia in boys only * Retarded fetal growth * Enlarged liver * Enlarged spleen * Chorioretinitis * Seizures
Causes
CMV has been found in the saliva, urine, semen, breast milk, feces, blood, and vaginal and cervical secretions of infected people. The virus is usually transmitted through contact with these infected secretions, which can harbor the virus for months or even years. It may be transmitted by sexual contact and can travel across the placenta, causing a congenital infection. Immunosuppressed patients, especially those who have received transplanted organs, run a 90% chance of contracting CMV infection. Recipients of blood transfusions from donors with positive CMV antibodies are at some risk. About four out of five people older than age 35 have been infected with CMV, usually during childhood or early adulthood. In most of these people, the disease is so mild that it's overlooked. However, CMV infection during pregnancy can be hazardous to the fetus, possibly leading to stillbirth, brain damage, and other birth defects or to severe neonatal illness. About 1% of all neonates have CMV.
Diagnosis
These home medical tests may be relevant to Congenital cytomegalovirus: * Cold & Flu: Home Testing: o Home Fever Tests o Home Ear Infection Tests o Home Flu Tests
Treatment
Treatment aims to relieve symptoms and prevent complications. In the immunosuppressed patient, CMV may be treated with acyclovir, ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir and, possibly, foscarnet. Most important, parents of children with severe congenital CMV infection need support and counseling to help them cope with the possibility of brain damage or death.