|  | Conditions Treatments | Viruses

Symptoms of CMV Infection

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that often causes no symptoms in infected people. Between 50 percent to 80 percent of adults in the United States are affected before age 40, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While there is no cure for CMV, antiviral drugs can slow the infection in severe cases.

  1. Identification

    • CMV is a member of the herpes virus family, the same group of viruses that cause such disease as chickenpox and shingles. A CMV infection is spread through contact with such bodily fluids as tears, saliva, breast milk, blood, urine, vaginal fluid and semen. Although the CMV virus remains in an infected person's body for the rest of his life, it rarely causes a serious infection. People who have weakened immune systems and babies infected during the fetal stage of development can experience severe symptoms.

    Symptoms in Newborns

    • A CMV infection can be passed from mother to unborn baby through the placenta. Even if your baby is infected, it is unlikely that there will be obvious symptoms at birth. One in 150 babies are born with the CMV virus, although most never experience any symptoms of an infection, according to the CDC. Symptoms of CMV infection in newborns may include low birth weight, purple skin splotches, enlarged spleen or liver, a rash, jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin), seizures and pneumonia.

    Long-Term Effects of CMV on Newborns

    • If your newborn is infected with CMV, it is possible that she may develop autism, a mental disability, hearing loss, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eye problems or seizures. Vision and hearing loss are the most common long-term effects of CMV. Smaller than average head size and coordination problems can also occur after a CMV infection. In some cases, the virus may even cause death. Newborns may initially seem healthy, but may eventually develop one or more of these problems months or years later.

    Symptoms in Adults

    • CMV symptoms in adults include sore throat, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, weakness, weight loss and swollen glands. You may also experience an overall feeling of being uncomfortable or unwell and your muscles may be achy or stiff. Because these symptoms are common in many other illnesses, you may never realize that you have been infected with the virus. If you are not pregnant when you develop the virus and don't have a weakened immune system, you will probably not experience any long-lasting effects from the virus.

    Symptoms in People with Weakened Immune Systems

    • A CMV infection can be particularly serious when it occurs in people with weakened immune systems due to diseases such as cancer, diabetes or the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Infection with CMV can cause pneumonia, diarrhea, prolonged fever, blindness, seizures, visual impairment, encephalitis (brain inflammation), coma, hepatitis, bleeding ulcers and behavioral changes.

Viruses - Related Articles