Glossary of Health Terms
Infectious Mononucleosis, or “mono”
for short, is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is a
viral infection with severe symptoms that can leave you
bed-ridden for weeks, even months. Mono is easily passed
from person to person through contact with the saliva of
someone who is infected, either through kissing (where
the common title for mono, “the kissing disease”, comes
from) or sharing a drinking glass or eating utensil. The
virus also lies in the mucus of an infected person,
making it easily spread through a cough or sneeze. A
person can be sick with mono for weeks, sometimes even a
couple of months, before any symptoms begin to appear.
The first signs of mono can easily be confused with cold
and flu symptoms—fever, headache, sore muscles and
swollen lymph nodes. When extreme fatigue sets in it’s
almost a sure sign of mono. Sometimes it is too much of
an effort to even take a shower.
Young adults ages 15-25 are most commonly infected with
mono, known as glandular fever in most European
countries. Doctors estimate that 95% of adults, almost
every adult in the world, has been infected with the
Epstein-Barr virus, a member of the herpes-virus family.
It is the most common virus known to humankind. In most
developed countries, such as the United States, it is
somewhat uncommon for young children to have the
infection, but it is inevitable that almost everyone
will come in contact with the Epstein-Barr virus as some
point. When young children and young adults do become
infected with the virus, the symptoms may sometimes be
mild and mistaken for a common cold or flu. But for most
people, becoming infected with the Epstein-Barr virus
almost always leads to full-blown mono.
Because mono is a viral infection, no amount of
antibiotics will cure it. If you or your child has
recently experienced symptoms of mono and been to the
doctor for help (if you’ve even had enough strength to
make it out of bed), you were probably very disappointed
with his response! If a “mono spot” test was given,
which looks for a high white blood cell count and the
presence of a unique antibody that attacks mono, and the
results came back positive—you do indeed have infectious
mononucleosis—you’re only hope for getting better is
lots of bed rest. Why? Because mono is a viral
infection, no antibiotic will be effective.
If you are working, think of the several weeks you will
be unable to come to work, or have already missed
because you couldn’t even make it out of bed. That’s a
pretty big chunk out of your paycheck! If you are in
school think of all the classes you will miss, or have
already missed, and the overwhelming amount of work and
exams you’ll have to make up. It may sound fun at first
to stay in bed all day long but when the
responsibilities start piling up it quickly becomes a
big frustration.
A sore throat, achy muscles and swollen lymph nodes,
along with extreme fatigue, are the most common symptoms
of mono. Other common discomforts and inconveniences you
can experience during mono include sinus infection,
strep throat (a throat infection), tonsillitis (an
infection of the tonsils), loss of appetite, depression,
weakness, and sometimes even hepatitis (a swollen liver)
and a swollen spleen. A case of mono can keep you out of
commission for weeks. Trying to stay active to beat the
fatigue and hopefully “kick the virus” will actually
make it worse. The longer you experience symptoms the
more it is weakening your immune system and the longer
you will need to recover. People infected with mono are
told by their doctors to get plenty of bed rest and
drink lots of fluids. Most people are so fatigued they
can only do just that rest.
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