Herpes Doctor

Very rarely. The majority of healthy people catch Cytomegalovirus without experiencing symptoms or complications and it usually doesn't result in any illness. In fact, by the age of 40 most people carry Cytomegalovirus without knowing it. Like all other Herpes viruses, Cytomegalovirus stays in the body permanently after primary infection.

Some people may experience complications:

• Pregnant women
• Immunocompromised patients

The very few women who do not already have Cytomegalovirus run a small risk if they catch Cytomegalovirus during pregnancy. The baby might be born with Cytomegalovirus which can cause brain damage, visual and hearing damage among others. However, only 1 to 3% of women who don't already have
Cytomegalovirus (which is most women) will catch it during pregnancy and 45% of those pregnancies will result in babies with Cytomegalovirus-related damages. Serious as it may be, it is very rare.

If a pregnant women is healthy, she does not herself run any risk from Cytomegalovirus. Pregnant women who work in the health or care industry should wash hands regularly to avoid catching and spreading Cytomegalovirus.

Cytomegalovirus can cause complications in immunocompromised patients such as

• AIDS patients
• Organ transplant patients
• Hepatitis patients
• Cancer patients
• Pneumonia patients

As with pregnant women, the above mentioned patients only run a risk if they haven't already got Cytomegalovirus, so again the risk is very small.

There is a laboratory test available from your doctor to determine if you have Cytomegalovirus. The test will show if antibodies to the virus, which will mean that you have been infected in the past and if so, you are not at risk.

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