Hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with congenital cytomegalovirus.

OBJECTIVE

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common congenital infection and the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss. We assessed demographics, clinical characteristics, hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes by 6 years of age among U.S. children with possible cCMV.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort design.

SETTING

The Audiological and Genetic Database (AudGenDB) includes 175,216 pediatric patients who underwent audiology, otology or genetic visits during 2006-2019 in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, or Boston Children's Hospital.

METHODS

Children with possible cCMV were identified by diagnostic codes for cCMV infection and CMV disease up to 6 years of age. We examined clinical signs of cCMV during 0-45 days of birth and neurodevelopmental conditions (including hearing loss) up to 6 years of age. Hearing loss was defined as pure tone average or any frequency threshold ≥25 dB.

RESULTS

A total of 180 (0.1 %) children with possible cCMV were identified; 70 % had diagnosis codes after 45 days of life. The proportions of Black and Hispanic/Latino children comprised a higher proportion in the possible cCMV group compared to the non-cCMV group. Overall, 129 (72 %) children with possible cCMV had diagnoses codes for neurodevelopmental conditions, including hearing loss (56), communication delays (45) and cerebral palsy (22). Hearing loss was diagnosed at a median age of 2 (1-4) years.

CONCLUSION

Neurodevelopmental delays were common among children with possible cCMV included in this study. AudGenDB provides access to longitudinal outcomes for a large and diverse cohort that remains helpful in lieu of state-mandated screenings.