Human Cytomegalovirus Infection in Nonimmunocompromised Patients: A Retrospective Analysis and Review of the Literature

Abstract

In a retrospective analysis of patients visiting the Outpatient Department of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine over a period of 3 years, we found a high incidence of symptomatic nonsevere human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in nonimmunocompromised patients. We present 11 symptomatic cases of HCMV infection in nonimmunocompromised patients with non-life-threatening symptoms like long-lasting depletion, fatigue, and subfebrile fever with or without muscular pain and arthralgia. Although the symptoms were not life-threatening, all of the patients suffered a prolonged duration of the disease until improvement. These cases reinforce the important fact that HCMV infections in nonimmunocompromised patients are not always asymptomatic. Therefore, HCMV infection should always be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with unspecific signs of disease like depletion, subfebrile fever, and arthralgia.