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Estimates vary on the incidence of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in infants with asymptomatic or symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. In this large prospective study, investigators evaluated SNHL incidence among 14,021 infants born at one Brussels, Belgium, hospital while a screening program was in place (between June 1996 and November 2006) for detection of congenitally infected neonates. Pregnant women underwent serologic testing during pregnancy. Urine samples were collected from infants during the first week of life; infants diagnosed with congenital CMV infections underwent audiologic testing at birth, 6 months, 1 year, and annually thereafter.
Of 74 newborns (0.53%) diagnosed with congenital CMV infections, only…