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Use of In vivo Imaging to Monitor the Progression of Experimental Mouse Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neonates
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Intelligence and Academic Achievement With Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Adriana S Lopez1, Tatiana M Lanzieri2, Angelika H Claussen3

  • 1National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and.

Pediatrics
|October 26, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Infants with asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection and normal hearing do not show differences in intelligence, language, or academic achievement compared to uninfected children. This finding applies to outcomes throughout childhood and adolescence.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Developmental psychology
  • Public health screening

Background:

  • Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a common cause of sensorineural hearing loss in newborns.
  • Newborn screening for congenital CMV allows for early identification of infected infants, including those asymptomatic at birth.
  • Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for infants with asymptomatic congenital CMV and normal hearing require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare intelligence, language, and academic achievement up to age 18 in children with asymptomatic congenital CMV infection identified via newborn screening versus uninfected controls.
  • To analyze developmental trajectories in children with congenital CMV, differentiating between those with normal hearing and those who develop sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

Main Methods:

  • Growth curve modeling was employed to track changes in IQ (full-scale, verbal, nonverbal), vocabulary (receptive, expressive), and academic achievement (math, reading) over time.
  • The study included children with congenital CMV and normal hearing (n=78), congenital CMV with SNHL (n=11), and uninfected controls (n=40).
  • Separate models analyzed developmental trends for each outcome measure based on age.

Main Results:

  • Children with congenital CMV and SNHL showed significantly lower full-scale intelligence (7.0 points) and receptive vocabulary (13.1 points) compared to controls.
  • No significant differences in full-scale intelligence or receptive vocabulary were observed between children with congenital CMV and normal hearing, and controls.
  • Verbal intelligence, nonverbal intelligence, expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading did not significantly differ among the groups (normal hearing CMV, SNHL CMV, and controls).

Conclusions:

  • Asymptomatic congenital CMV infection identified by newborn screening, in the absence of hearing loss by age 2, is not associated with long-term deficits in IQ, vocabulary, or academic achievement.
  • These findings suggest that early identification and monitoring of hearing in congenital CMV cases are crucial for understanding neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Children with congenital CMV and normal hearing demonstrate developmental trajectories comparable to their uninfected peers in cognitive and academic domains.
Abstract

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