What is a common clinical manifestation of congenital cytomegalovirus infection?

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the leading causes of congenital neurological disabilities and can have several clinical manifestations. Among these, microcephaly is notably one of the most common. It refers to an abnormally small head size which is a result of impaired brain development. This finding is associated with neurological deficits that may manifest later in the child’s life, often observed in infants who have been affected by CMV during pregnancy.

Microcephaly can occur in conjunction with other symptoms of congenital CMV, such as hearing loss, vision problems, and developmental delays, but its presence is a hallmark indicator of the infection. The mechanism behind this involves the infection interfering with neurological development during critical periods of fetal growth.

In contrast, while jaundice, severe dehydration, and respiratory distress can arise from a variety of conditions in neonates, they are not specifically linked to congenital CMV infection. Jaundice can occur for numerous reasons in newborns, such as physiological reasons or hemolytic disease. Severe dehydration usually indicates an underlying issue with feeding or fluid intake, and respiratory distress could originate from many causes including transient tachypnea of the newborn or other respiratory conditions. None of these signs directly correlate with the long