Infectious Mononucleosis
(Mono · Epstein-Barr Virus · Glandular Fever)
In this condition factsheet:
Diagnosing Infectious Mononucleosis
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is reliably detected by blood tests that look for antibodies and other cells that are only found in the presence of this infection. Another virus, called cytomegalovirus (CMV), causes an illness identical to mononucleosis, except blood tests for EBV are negative.
Some doctor may choose not to test the blood for the virus since there's not much the doctor can do with the information. Blood tests may be done to check for other medical conditions that could cause similar symptoms.
It's important to eliminate the possibility of strep throat, which causes similar symptoms and could be treated with antibiotics. This is done by testing for streptococcal bacteria with a throat swab.
Treating and Preventing Infectious Mononucleosis
There's really nothing modern medicine can do about viral infections like mononucleosis. Fortunately, most cases are mild. Stay in bed for a few days, and don't hurry back to school or work.
Drink plenty of water and fruit juices to avoid dehydration. You can take various syrups to soothe a sore throat, and acetaminophen to control fever. Children should not be given acetylsalicylic acid* (ASA) when treating mononucleosis because of the possibility of Reye's syndrome, a dangerous brain inflammation.
Rare and severe symptoms, like a massively enlarged spleen or swelling of the airway to the lungs, are treated with corticosteroids to reduce inflammation. Ruptured spleens must be repaired or removed in an emergency operation.
There's little you can do to avoid mononucleosis, except not kissing people who've been diagnosed with the disease. Most carriers have no symptoms, and therefore aren't diagnosed. If you're an adult, chances are you've already had it without knowing it and are now largely immune from re-infection.
If you get mononucleosis, the most important thing is to listen to advice about taking it easy for a month afterwards. The risk of a ruptured spleen is small, but not so small as to be ignored.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For information on a given medication, check our Drug Information database. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
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