In addition to its connection with mono, experts are looking into possible links between EBV and conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Because EBV sheds in your throat, you can infect someone who comes into contact with your saliva, such as by kissing them or sharing eating utensils. Due to the long incubation period, you may not even be aware you have mono. Mono can continue to be contagious for 3 months or more after you experience the symptoms.
Find out more about how long mono is contagious. Anyone who regularly comes into close contact with large numbers of people is at an increased risk for mono. This is why high school and college students frequently become infected. Because other, more serious viruses such as hepatitis A can cause symptoms similar to mono, your doctor will work to rule out these possibilities.
Age is one of the main factors for diagnosing mono along with the most common symptoms: fever, sore throat, and swollen glands. Your doctor will take your temperature and check the glands in your neck, armpits, and groin. They might also check the upper left part of your stomach to determine if your spleen is enlarged.
Sometimes your doctor will request a complete blood count. This blood test will help determine how severe your illness is by looking at your levels of various blood cells.
For example, a high lymphocyte count often indicates an infection. A mono infection typically causes your body to produce more white blood cells as it tries to defend itself. One of the most reliable ways to diagnose mononucleosis is the monospot test or heterophile test. This blood test looks for antibodies —these are proteins your immune system produces in response to harmful elements. These are called heterophile antibodies.
At this point, you would have sufficient amounts of heterophile antibodies to trigger a reliable positive response. If your monospot test comes back negative, your doctor might order an EBV antibody test. This blood test looks for EBV-specific antibodies. This test can detect mono as early as the first week you have symptoms, but it takes longer to get the results.
However, your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid medication to reduce throat and tonsil swelling. The symptoms usually resolve on their own in 1 to 2 months. Contact your doctor if your symptoms get worse or if you have intense abdominal pain. Learn more about treating mono. Treatment at home is aimed at easing your symptoms. This includes using over-the-counter OTC medicines to reduce fever and techniques to calm a sore throat, such as gargling salt water.
Find out more about home remedies for mono. Mono is typically not serious. In some cases, people who have mono get secondary infections such as strep throat , sinus infections , or tonsillitis.
In rare cases, some people may develop the following complications:. Adults may not experience the classic symptoms of a red throat and swollen lymph nodes. Instead, liver problems may occur.
A fever with liver inflammation can make mono harder to spot in this age group. Muscle aches may also be more common in this group, according to one older study. Mono can resemble other illnesses, so people should contact a doctor if they have concerns about symptoms that may indicate mono.
Parents should call a doctor if a child:. Those with symptoms of a ruptured spleen should seek emergency care immediately. In a teenager or young adult with classic symptoms, a doctor can usually diagnose mono through a physical examination. However, symptoms can be less obvious in younger children and older adults, so additional testing may be needed. Mono is a virus, so antibiotics cannot treat it.
Infectious mononucleosis , also known as glandular fever, can emerge as a result of infection with EBV, or herpes virus 4. Many people are infected with EBV but never experience symptoms of mono, or the symptoms are very mild, and similar to those of another common illness, such as a cold or flu. Adolescents and young adults are most likely to have noticeable symptoms, and mono is common among college students.
Even in a person with no symptoms, the virus can be active or reactivated at a later date. When it is active, symptoms may or may not appear, and the virus can be passed on to another person. This person may develop symptoms of mono. While EBV is the most common cause of mono, other infections can cause mono symptoms.
Sharing drinks, toothbrushes, or a plate of food can spread it. It can also be passed on through breast milk, other bodily floods such as blood or semen, or through blood transfusions. Acrodermatitis enteropathica is a skin condition peculiar to children that may be accompanied by mild symptoms of fever and malaise. It may also be associated with hepatitis B infection or other viral infections. The lesions appear as small coppery-red, flat-topped firm papules that appear in crops and sometime in long linear strings, often symmetric.
Swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue and headache are some of the symptoms of mononucleosis, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is generally self-limiting and most patients can recover in 4 to 6 weeks without medicines.
This picture shows large, atypical lymphocytes white blood cells. These cells are seen in viral infections, most commonly caused by the Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis , cytomegalovirus diseases, and occasionally infectious hepatitis.
This is an example of a type I Downy cell. Gianotti-Crosti disease is also called acrodermatitis of childhood. These red, elevated lesions do not contain pus and can occur on the limbs, buttocks, face, and neck. Infectious mononucleosis causes a sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, and fatigue. The throat may appear red and the tonsils covered with a whitish material. Mononucleosis and severe streptococcal tonsillitis appear quite similar.
Unless there are other findings to suggest mononucleosis, a throat culture and blood studies may be necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. In teenagers and young adults, there is frequently a sore throat and red tonsils with whitish spots exudate , as seen in this picture. Enlarged lymph nodes and fatigue are also common. Antigens are large molecules usually proteins on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, bacteria, and some non-living substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles.
The immune system recognizes antigens and produces antibodies that destroy substances containing antigens. Fatigue Headaches Diagnosis: If you have any symptoms and are concerned that you may have mono, you should visit a clinician. The clinician will perform a physical exam, including of your throat and glands. Because mono symptoms are similar to those of other infections, the clinician will try to determine whether your symptoms are those of mono, strep throat or another viral infection.
The clinician may swab the back of your throat. If streptococcus strep is present, you may be treated with an antibiotic. Blood tests for mono measure antibodies to the virus and therefore testing is not usually positive until symptoms have been present for one week or more. If streptococcus is not present and your symptoms continue for days, you should return to your clinician for possible further testing. Treatment: Like the common cold, mono is a viral infection with no cure. You can follow these self-care measures to feel better.
Gargle: To reduce throat pain, gargle with one teaspoon of salt or baking soda dissolved in a glass of very warm water. You can purchase non-prescription medications like Chloraseptic gargle or lozenges, or your clinician may write a prescription for gargles that reduce throat pain and make swallowing easier.
Take medication: For fever, sore throat, head and body aches, ibuprofen or naproxen Aleve are available without prescription. Follow directions on packaging.
0コメント