A new study led by The Kid Experts at Children’s Minnesota found that universal screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss in infants, significantly increased diagnoses of mild hearing loss in infants.
“If we can identify these patients earlier and intervene, we can have a positive impact on them for their entire lives,” said the lead researcher, Andrew J. Redmann, MD, pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Minnesota. “It also allows us to potentially treat their viral infection early on in life with anti-viral medicines and stop potential future hearing loss.”
The study, published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, examined 132 patients diagnosed with cCMV between 2021 and 2024. It revealed that universal screening for cCMV:
- Reduced screening age from 8.5 months to 25 days
- Increased the number of diagnoses from about three per year before 2022 to 61 per year after Minnesota became the first state to mandate universal screening in 2023
- Identified four times as many cases of mild hearing loss compared to the prior year
cCMV screening is offered through audiology services that are provided by the ear, nose and throat (ENT) program at Children’s Minnesota. The program provides a full range of ENT and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery services, including prenatal counseling, advanced imaging, cochlear implants and innovative surgeries for cleft and craniofacial issues.
