Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Cytomegalovirus DNAemia in Non-HIV-Infected and Non-Transplant Patients: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects most of the population and remains dormant after a self-limited illness at the time of infection. It can cause severe illness in immunocompromised patients. CMV DNAemia in non-HIV-infected, non-solid organ/bone marrow transplant (NHNT) hosts is poorly characterized, with limited clinical insights. We aim to describe the clinical presentation, prognostic indicators, and outcomes of CMV DNAemia among NHNT patients. We used the TriNetX international patient database to identify adult patients diagnosed with CMV DNAemia from 2016 until March 2023. We evaluated hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) level care, and all-cause mortality at 30 days and 1 year. We also completed a post-propensity score analysis comparing clinical characteristics of survivors versus non-survivors at 90 days. We identified 1123 NHNT patients with CMV DNAemia, most commonly those with neoplasms (63%). Venous thromboembolism occurred in 31% of the population. The 30-day hospitalization and all-cause mortality rates were 35% and 14%, respectively. After propensity score matching, dyspnea, weakness, purpura, acute respiratory failure, malnutrition, encephalopathy, hypotension, CMV viral load, and ferritin were associated with increased 90-day all-cause mortality. CMV DNAemia in NHNT patients is associated with substantial morbidity and all-cause mortality. Further studies are warranted to clarify whether CMV DNAemia is a causative factor or an incidental finding in this population.