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Self-reported executive functioning in adults with congenital cytomegalovirus infection
Karolina Falkenius Schmidt1,2, Anastasia Nyström2, Johannes Ehinger1,2,3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Background:
Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common prenatal infection and the main infectious cause of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in developed countries. Long-term neuropsychological outcome of cCMV infection is yet not well understood, and follow-up studies on adults screened for CMV at birth are few. The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported executive functioning (EF) in adults with cCMV infection in relation to uninfected controls.
Method:
All individuals from a universal newborn CMV screening study conducted in Southern Sweden and sampled 1977-85, was invited to participate in a follow-up study. 45/71 individuals (63%) with cCMV infection and 25/46 controls (54%) were enrolled. Participants were aged 34-43 years. Neurological symptoms and neuropsychiatric disabilities were documented through written reports from the original study and a semi-structured study protocol. Executive functioning was evaluated with BRIEF-A (questionnaire).
Results:
No statistically significant differences were found between groups in self-reported executive functioning, although greater variability in outcomes was observed in the cCMV group.
Conclusion:
Everyday executive functioning might not be affected at the group level in adults with cCMV infection or may not be adequately captured through self-reports alone. The variability in executive functioning results suggests that individuals with cCMV infection represent a more heterogeneous group compared to the controls.
