Could CMV Have Caused Your Baby’s Hearing Loss?

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Shapiro Law Group

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common non-inherited cause of deafness in children. A new study shows that more than 10 percent of babies who contract CMV will suffer permanent hearing loss.

How Do Babies Get CMV?

Studies have shown that mothers contract the virus from toddlers and pass it along to their fetuses. Women can experience fatigue, fever and muscle aches, similar to symptoms of mononucleosis.

Infants with CMV may exhibit symptoms like:

yellow skin and eyes
purple skin splotches or a rash
low birth weight
enlarged spleen
poorly functioning liver
pneumonia
seizures

Only one in 10 children show symptoms of the virus, and screening for the disease is not common practice. Babies who are symptomatic lose hearing in both ears, while those without symptoms are usually only deaf in one ear.

Is There a Vaccine for CMV?

There is no vaccine for the virus, but doctors have had limited success with antiviral drugs. Some doctors believe that newborns should get a hearing test “before leaving the hospital and every year afterward” until the age of six if they show symptoms of CMV.

Why Did My Baby Go Deaf?

It is your doctor’s job to be aware of any risks or abnormalities during your prenatal care and childbirth. If doctors fail to recognize harmful symptoms, their negligence could have permanent consequences.

If a doctor’s negligence caused your baby’s birth injury, you do have legal options. Call the attorneys at Shapiro Law Group today to discuss your case, or follow our firm on Facebook or Twitter.

[Did You Know: By the age of 40, between 50 percent and 80 percent of adults have had a CMV infection, which stays in the body for life.]

Shapiro Law Group – Medical Malpractice Attorneys Serving the Tampa Bay Area

Source: http://www.wogx.com/story/27025875/virus-present-at-birth-causes-more-than-10-percent-of-hearing-loss-cases-in-kids

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