Congenital cytomegalovirus infection and sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital viral infection with a reported incidence of 0.29-0.42% of live births. Bilateral and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss of varying degrees has been reported in children with symotomatic and asymptomatic congenital CMV infections. In this paper, case studies from three infants with hearing impairments diagnosed by pediatricians as symptomatic congenital CMV infections are reported. The follow-up hearing assessments were performed by ABR and pure tone audiography. According to their ABR thresholds, the three cases had severe, severe and moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment, respectively. We administered acyclovir and anti-CMV γ-globlin, and the ABR thresholds of all three cases improved. However, in two cases, delayed progressive hearing loss and vestibular impairment were found.