Hearing Loss (Congenital CMV)

Congenital CMV is the most common cause of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Transmitted via saliva. Only ~10% of health professionals mention CMV risk to pregnant patients — a significant awareness gap worth closing.

• 10% of infants with congenital CMV have hearing loss at birth.
• 50% of those with congenital CMV will go on to develop hearing loss after the neonatal period — ongoing audiological follow-up matters even with a normal newborn hearing screen.

Prevention advice for pregnant patients

Reduce salivary exposure from young children: avoid kissing children on the lips, don’t share utensils/cups/food, wash hands after nappy changes or wiping noses.

Conductive hearing loss

The other broad category — usually from middle ear effusion (e.g. recurrent otitis media/glue ear) rather than CMV; consider audiology referral for persistent effusion, especially in children with cleft palate (see cleft lip/palate, where effusion is almost universal).