Mononucleosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Mononucleosis

Alternative Names:

Infectious mononucleosis; Mono; Kissing disease; Epstein-Barr viral syndrome
Treatment:

Most patients recover within 2-4 weeks without medication. Younger children often don't have symptoms, while some older patients may have fatigue for up to 6 weeks.

There is no specific treatment available. Antiviral medications do not help. Steroid medication may be considered for patients with severe symptoms.

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To relieve typical symptoms:

Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain and fever.
Gargle with warm salt water for sore throat.
Get plenty of rest. Drink plenty of fluids.
Avoid contact sports while the spleen is enlarged (to prevent it from rupturing).

Expectations (prognosis):

The fever usually drops in 10 days, and swollen lymph glands and spleen heal in 4 weeks. Fatigue usually resolves within a few weeks, but may linger for 2 to 3 months.

Complications:

Secondary bacterial throat infection
Rupture of spleen (this is rare; avoid pressure on the spleen)
Neurological complications (these are rare, but include meningitis, seizures, ataxia, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and Bell's palsy)
Hepatitis with jaundice (more common in patients older than 35)
Hemolytic anemia
Orchitis
Death in immunocompromised individuals

Calling your health care provider:

The initial symptoms of mono feel very much like a typical viral illness. It is not necessary to contact a health care provider unless symptoms last longer than 10 days or you develop the following: