Symptoms & Signs
The symptoms of CMV infection are similar to those of mononucleosis. In fact, in a small percentage of people with mononucleosis, CMV is the cause. The symptoms of primary CMV infection are:
- Fatigue
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
- Joint stiffness
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle aches or joint pain
- Night sweats
- Prolonged fever
- Sore throat
- Swelling of the lymph nodes
- Weakness
- Weight loss
In immunocompromised people, CMV can attack specific organs. The major symptoms of these organ-specific infections are:
Eye:
- Blindness
- Floaters in the eye
- Visual impairment
Lung:
- Pneumonia with impaired oxygen uptake (hypoxia)
Gastrointestinal:
- Diarrhea
- Swallowing difficulties or pain
- Ulcerations with bleeding
Brain:
- Coma
- Encephalitis with behavioral changes
- Seizures
Diagnosis & Tests
Blood and urine tests can detect and measure substances specific to CMV. A tissue biopsy is often required to be certain of the diagnosis (except in the eye or nervous system).
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CMV – immunocompromised host : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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CMV – immunocompromised host : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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CMV – immunocompromised host : Treatment
Review Date : 12/1/2009
Reviewed By : David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
