Cytomegaly: Complications

The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be caused by infections with cytomegalovirus:

Prenatal infection

Respiratory System (J00-J99).

Eyes and eye appendages (H00-H59).

  • Amaurosis (blindness)
  • CMV retinitis/retinitis (esp. in HIV).
  • Cataract (lens opacity) – as a result of CMV retinitis (retinitis caused by the cytomegalovirus).
  • Microphthalmos – too small eyeball.

Mouth, esophagus (food pipe), stomach and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).

  • Diarrhea (diarrhea)
  • Sialadenitis (50% of cases sialadenal fetopathy/disease of a fetus due to fetal damage during the fetal period, which in humans lasts from the beginning of the 9th week of pregnancy (SSW) until birth).
  • Ulcus ventriculi (gastric ulcer; rare in immunocompetent individuals).
  • Dental defects

Ears – mastoid process (H60-H95)

  • Sensorineuronal hearing loss (up to deafness; about 10% of asymptomatically infected newborns develop unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss).

Psyche – Nervous System (F00-F99; G00-G99).

  • Learning delay
  • Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) with calcifications, which in turn can lead to seizures, paralysis or the like

Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium (O00-O99).

  • Abortion (miscarriage)
    • Primary infection periconceptional (initial infection around the date of conception) → abortion 17-90%.
    • Primary infection in the 1st trimester (third trimester) → abortion about 20%.
    • Primary infection in the 2nd trimester → abortion about 3%.

Postnatal infection

Respiratory system (J00-J99)

Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)

  • Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries).
  • Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)

Mouth, esophagus (esophagus), stomach, and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).

  • Sialadenitis (infection in the first year of life shows only 10% salivary gland involvement).

Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).

  • Arthritis (inflammation of the joints)

Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99)

  • Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) with calcifications, which in turn can lead to seizures, paralysis, or similar conditions
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS; synonyms: Idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, Landry-Guillain-Barré-Strohl syndrome); two courses: acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (disease of the peripheral nervous system); idiopathic polyneuritis (diseases of multiple nerves) of the spinal nerve roots and peripheral nerves with ascending paralysis and pain; usually occurs after infections.

Further

  • General weakness that may last for several months

Infection of immunocompromised individuals

Respiratory system (J00-J99)

  • Pneumonia (pneumonia)

Eyes and eye appendages (H00-H59).

  • Amaurosis (blindness)
  • Retinitis (CMV retinitis, retinitis caused by cytomegalovirus).

Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).

  • Adrenalitis (inflammation of the adrenal cortex).

Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)

  • Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries).
  • Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)

Liver, gallbladder and bile ducts – pancreas (pancreatitis) K70-K77; K80-K87)

  • Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation).
  • Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)

Mouth, esophagus (esophagus), stomach, and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).

  • Gastritis (inflammation of the gastric mucosa).
  • Colitis (inflammation of the intestine)
  • Esophagitis (esophagitis)

Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99)

Further

  • Transplant rejection