Characteristics and outcomes of infants with cytomegalovirus infection in Bloemfontein

• Published in: SAJCH : the South African journal of child health Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 133 - 138
• Main Authors: Moodley, M, van der Byl, A, Goedhals, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: South African Medical Association NPC 01.09.2024; South African Medical Association
• Subjects: Health Care Sciences & Services
• ISSN: 1994-3032; 1999-7671; 1999-7671
• DOI: 10.7196/SAJCH.2024.v18i3.1807

\r\nBackground\r\nCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in infancy.\r\n\r\nObjectives\r\nTo describe the outcomes and characteristics of CMV-infected infants in an HIV-prevalent population.\r\n\r\nMethods\r\nA retrospective, descriptive study was conducted by reviewing hospital records of infants who had a positive CMV test and were admitted to the academic hospitals in Bloemfontein.\r\n\r\nResults\r\nInpatient mortality for CMV-infected infants was 13.3% (n=18/135). Of those, 66.6% (12/18) of patients who died were HIV exposed and 33.3% (6/18) had CMV/HIV co-infection. The most common causes of death were sepsis (38.9%), pneumonia/pneumonitis (33.3%) and multi-organ failure (11.2%). Approximately 60.7% (82/135) of all CMV-positive infants were HIV exposed, while 20.7% (28/135) were HIV infected. More than half (55.6%) of the patients had a birth weight