Mrs Emma Waight1, Prof Asha Bowen2, Professor Cheryl Jones3, Associate Professor Pamela Palasanthiran4, Associate Professor Philip N Britton5, Associate Professor Julia Clark6, A/Prof Valerie Sung7, Ms Sonia Dougherty6, Ms Jordann Davis6, Ms Rebecca Burrell5, Mrs Alanna Gillespie7, Dr Preethi Chandrasekaran7, Ms Nicole Kerly4, A/Prof Hayley Smithers-Sheedy1
1Cerebral palsy Alliance Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia, 2Department of Infectious Diseases, Perth Children’s Hospital, Perth, Australia, 3Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Australia, 4Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, University of NSW, Randwick, Australia, 5Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead Children’s Hospital, Westmead, Australia, 6Centre for Children’s Health Research, Queensland Children’s Hospital, University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Australia, 7Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Royal Children’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Emma is a Senior Research Assistant at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute. She has a public health background and is a PhD candidate, with her thesis focusing on the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and aetiology of post-neonatally acquired cerebral palsy. Emma is a member of the Australian Cerebral Palsy Register and the Australasian Congenital Cytomegalovirus Register, where she assists in the maintenance and research output of these registers.
Abstract
Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of newborn disability including sensorineural deafness and cerebral palsy. Anti-viral therapy may be considered for infants with significant CMV disease, however the use and long-term impact of antiviral therapy in Australia is unknown.
Methods: Deidentified data was extracted from the Australasian congenital CMV Register. Here we used descriptive statistics to report: neonatal characteristics, newborn hearing screening outcomes, hearing outcomes and use of antiviral therapies for children born with CMV. As completeness of data varied across time points reflecting differences in age of recruitment and availability of data, denominators have been provided for clarity.
Results: A total of n=232 children were included in this cohort, 50% (117/232) male, 93% (200/ 216) singletons and 75% (162/215) born at term. Almost all children (87%, 175/200) had clinical signs of infection in the neonatal period with jaundice, intrauterine growth restriction and microcephaly being the most common. Almost half the children (49%, 87/179) did not pass newborn hearing screening and antiviral therapies were prescribed to 63% (55/87) of this group. Amongst children who passed newborn hearing screening 38% (35/92) were prescribed antiviral therapies. By 12 months 11% (10/92) of children who had passed their newborn hearing screening had been identified with late onset hearing loss, six of whom had received antiviral therapy
Conclusion: Our study confirms and highlights the progressive nature of hearing loss in children with congenital CMV, and the importance of both newborn hearing screening and audiological follow up for all children with congenital CMV.