A statewide law requiring cytomegalovirus testing for newborns who fail their hearing screen increased diagnoses more than fourfold, but still identified only a small fraction of infants actually born with the infection, according to new research in Pediatrics that its authors say makes the case for universal testing.
Congenital cytomegalovirus, abbreviated cCMV, is the most common infectious cause of birth defects and the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss in infants in the United States. It affects roughly 1 in 200 newborns. Most infected children, about three-quarters, never develop complications. For the remaining quarter, consequences can include hearing loss, vision problems, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy.
