Fetal cytomegalovirus syndrome
Overview
A rare condition where a fetus becomes infected with the cytomegalovirus through the mother.
Symptoms
* Anemia * Vision problems * Hearing loss * Enlarged liver * Enlarged spleen * Brain damage * Brain development anomalies * Small head * Hydrocephalus * Developmental delay * Fetal hydrops * Fetal ascites
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
* Home Pregnancy Tests o Home Early Pregnancy Tests o Home Ovulation Tests o Home Fertility Tests o Home Rhesus/RH Blood Type Tests o Home Fetal Tests * Fertility-related Home Testing: o Home Ovulation Tests o Home Fertility Tests * Male Fertility Tests o Home Sperm Tests o Sperm Count Tests o Sperm Motility Tests * 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.