Congenital Cytomegalovirus and Hearing Loss.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common cause of nongenetic, sensorineural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disorders in newborns, infants, and children. Current cCMV screening procedures for pregnant women and newborns are not standardized, which may be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the consequences of infection among clinicians and the general public and the lack of effective treatments. The purpose of this article is to provide a review and update on cCMV infection epidemiology, diagnostic tests, clinical manifestations, prevention, treatment, and nursing implications. Hearing loss is emphasized because this is a common sequela of cCMV infection for which diagnostic modalities and treatments are available.