A term neonate has petechiae, hepatosplenomegaly, conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, and periventricular calcifications on cranial imaging. Urine PCR for cytomegalovirus is positive. If the infant survives the neonatal period, the most common long-term sequela of congenital CMV infection is:

• A Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss ✓
• B Blindness from chorioretinitis alone
• C Spastic diplegia without sensory deficit
• D Chronic renal failure from glomerulonephritis

Explanation

Congenital CMV classically produces periventricular calcification, chorioretinitis, microcephaly, and petechiae, but the most frequent long-term disability is progressive sensorineural hearing loss, which can develop even in infants asymptomatic at birth and worsens over the first years of life. Chorioretinitis occurs but is less common than deafness, and CMV does not cause chronic renal failure in these children.

Reference: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 22nd ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.