Cytomegalovirus | Symptoms & Causes
What are the symptoms of cytomegalovirus?
Most babies with congenital CMV do not have symptoms of the infection at birth. However, each baby may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
- Liver enlargement and jaundice
- Spleen enlargement
- Lung infection
- Anemia
- Purple skin blotches and/or rashes
- Seizures
- Hearing loss
The symptoms of CMV may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your baby’s physician for a diagnosis.
Cytomegalovirus | Diagnosis & Treatments
How does a doctor know my child has cytomegalovirus?
- Most infections with CMV in the mother are not diagnosed because the virus produces few symptoms.
- A mother who has had CMV infection before may have antibodies present in her blood stream.
If your baby’s doctor suspects CMV, the doctor may screen your baby’s
- Blood
- Urine
- Saliva
- Liver function
- Hearing
- Brain, via ultrasound
Is there a way to diagnose cytomegalovirus before my baby is born?
- If the mother has symptoms similar to mononucleosis (fever, swollen glands, constant fatigue, tonsillitis, liver malfunction) while pregnant, she may be given a test to screen for CMV.
- A prenatal ultrasound can test your baby for symptoms of a CMV infection by allowing your doctor to inspect the brain as well as your baby’s gestational size.
How is cytomegalovirus treated?
Children with a CMV infection may receive:
- The anti-viral medication ganciclovir
- CMV-Ig, which contains CMV antibodies from a blood donor.
Data suggests these anti-viral agents can reduce hearing loss, CMV-related hepatitis, and CMV-related gastroenteritis in newborns.
Treatment may be prolonged for infants, but rarely requires lifetime management. Solid organ transplant patients may require lifetime management of CMV, in light of the immune-suppression therapy required to prevent organ rejection.
How Boston Children’s Hospital approaches cytomegalovirus
Because CMV could be a concern for newborn babies, doctors at Boston Children’s believe that diagnosis and treatment are most beneficial when they come early; these may include prenatal screening for infection and administering of anti-viral agents. Researchers are also looking for ways to prevent transmission of CMV from breast milk to pre-term infants, and ways to manage CMV for organ transplant recipients.
