The retrospective study by Holden et al. assesses the impact of mandatory universal screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), showing that universal screening reduced the age at which the first audiological assessment took place and increased the identification of mild hearing loss, with an absolute increase in CMV diagnoses and changes in referral and intervention patterns.
The age at the first audiological assessment fell significantly following the introduction of universal screening, dropping from approximately 0.7 years before the start of screening to around 0.07 years.
There was an increase in the detection of mild hearing loss, with more diagnoses in this category during the mandatory screening phase, whilst the incidence of severe hearing loss remained stable. The number of cCMV diagnoses rose significantly, reflecting increased case detection, including asymptomatic cases. The article emphasises the importance of universal CMV screening in terms of its impact on the diagnosis and management of congenital infection.
