Understanding Your Diagnosis of Mononucleosis

The diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis is most often based on fever, sore throat, extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes. Blood tests are used for confirmation.

Mononucleosis is sometimes referred to as the "kissing disease" because transmission requires contact with saliva and the population most affected are teenagers. Mononucleosis also has long been considered a dreaded diagnosis in our country. While it can be severe, most cases of mononucleosis are resolved quickly with few complications, indicating that perhaps its reputation is somewhat undeserved.

Mononucleosis most often occurs in teenagers and young adults although it can occur in other age groups as well. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, extreme fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Because these symptoms are also common in ailments like the common cold, strep throat, and the flu, mononucleosis is often misdiagnosed in its early stages. Severe fatigue appears to be the hallmark symptom and in severe cases can linger even weeks after other symptoms disappear.

Mononucleosis is mostly initiated by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Epstein-Barr virus is a part of the herpes virus family and is extremely common around the world. It is estimated that as many as 95% of Americans between the ages of 35 and 40 have been infected with EBV at some point in their life. When teenagers or young adults become infected with EBV it has been estimated that the infection results in a mononucleosis diagnosis as much as 50% of the time.

White blood cell counts and mono spot tests (which identify the antibody) are most commonly done to confirm mononucleosis and rule out other illnesses. The white blood cell counts look for elevated levels of white blood cells indicating infection and the antibody test looks specifically for the antibody that fights EBV to be present in the blood. The presence of this antibody is considered to confirm the presence of mononucleosis although it does not tell its severity.

Patients can expect the symptoms of mononucleosis to last in their severity for about 2 weeks. Fatigue is often reported to last much longer. In severe cases fatigue can last for several months. Patients should consult their physician for symptom relief ideas which usually include over the counter remedies for sore throat pain and fever. In general a diagnosis of mononucleosis, while unfortunate, is usually resolved without great complication.