Congenital cytomegalovirus infection diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction with the use of preserved umbilical cord in sensorineural hearing loss children.
OBJECTIVE
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is estimated to account for 30% of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) cases. Differences in clinical characteristics between CMV-related and unrelated SNHL cases were scrutinized.


METHODS
Using dried umbilical cord, we have recently developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay for the retrospective detection of congenital CMV infection. Medical records of 7 CMV-related patients identified from 31 SNHL patients by the assay were evaluated for the following: type and degree of hearing impairment, computed tomographic scan results, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, and other multiple disorders.


RESULTS
Clinical characteristics of the seven CMV-related SNHL cases were as follows: 1) six of the seven exhibited severe bilateral SNHL, whereas one had severe unilateral SNHL in the right ear. Although the hearing levels of CMV-related patients were more greatly impaired than those of CMV-negative patients, there was no hearing impairment pattern specific to the CMV-related patients; 2) five patients had mental retardation, which was more frequent than in CMV-negative patients; 3) birth weights of the CMV-positive cases were relatively lower.


CONCLUSIONS
Although CMV-positive cases are clinically indistinguishable from CMV-negative cases, our PCR system allowed the retrospective diagnosis of CMV-related SNHL.


CONCLUSIONS
CMV-related SNHL tends to accompany mental retardation and low birth weight more frequently than does CMV-negative SNHL.
Ogawa
Hiroshi
H
Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan. hmmjs@fmu.ac.jp
Baba
Yoko
Y
Suzutani
Tatsuo
T
Inoue
Naoki
N
Fukushima
Eiko
E
Omori
Koichi
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001724:Birth Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014470:Umbilical Cord