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. 2017 Nov;140(5):e20171517.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-1517.

Intelligence and Academic Achievement With Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Adriana S Lopez  1 , Tatiana M Lanzieri  2 , Angelika H Claussen  3 , Sherry S Vinson  4   5 , Marie R Turcich  4   5 , Isabella R Iovino  4   5 , Robert G Voigt  4   5 , A Chantal Caviness  4 , Jerry A Miller  4   6 , W Daniel Williamson  4 , Craig M Hales  1 , Stephanie R Bialek  1 , Gail Demmler-Harrison  4   5 ; Congenital Cytomegalovirus Longitudinal Study Group
Affiliations

Intelligence and Academic Achievement With Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Adriana S Lopez et al. Pediatrics. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine intelligence, language, and academic achievement through 18 years of age among children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through hospital-based newborn screening who were asymptomatic at birth compared with uninfected infants.

Methods: We used growth curve modeling to analyze trends in IQ (full-scale, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence), receptive and expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading. Separate models were fit for each outcome, modeling the change in overall scores with increasing age for patients with normal hearing (n = 78) or with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) diagnosed by 2 years of age (n = 11) and controls (n = 40).

Results: Patients with SNHL had full-scale intelligence and receptive vocabulary scores that were 7.0 and 13.1 points lower, respectively, compared with controls, but no significant differences were noted in these scores among patients with normal hearing and controls. No significant differences were noted in scores for verbal and nonverbal intelligence, expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading among patients with normal hearing or with SNHL and controls.

Conclusions: Infants with asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through newborn screening with normal hearing by age 2 years do not appear to have differences in IQ, vocabulary or academic achievement scores during childhood, or adolescence compared with uninfected children.

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Conflict of interest statement

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Dr Demmler-Harrison’s institution has received funding from Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corporation since July 2016 to assist with salary support for further analysis on long-term outcomes of congenital cytomegalovirus infection not included in this report; the other authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Comment in

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