Re: Mono questions??/Angel

[Guest guest]

Angel,

I have chronic epsteein barr virus. It is similar to mono but

lasts much longer. Here is some info I found that explains the

differences between the two.I also beleive it is not really unusaul

in mito to also have chronic EBV.Others may be able to help here too.

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Hope it helps...Dawn

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DISEASE INFORMATION

Epstein-Barr virus, frequently referred to as EBV, is a member of

the herpesvirus family and one of the most common human viruses. The

virus occurs worldwide, and most people become infected with EBV

sometime during their lives. In the United States, as many as 95% of

adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected. Infants

become susceptible to EBV as soon as maternal antibody protection

(present at birth) disappears. Many children become infected with

EBV, and these infections usually cause no symptoms or are

indistinguishable from the other mild, brief illnesses of childhood.

In the United States and in other developed countries, many persons

are not infected with EBV in their childhood years. When infection

with EBV occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, it causes

infectious mononucleosis 35% to 50% of the time.

Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis are fever, sore throat, and

swollen lymph glands. Sometimes, a swollen spleen or liver

involvement may develop. Heart problems or involvement of the

central nervous system occurs only rarely, and infectious

mononucleosis is almost never fatal. There are no known associations

between active EBV infection and problems during pregnancy, such as

miscarriages or birth defects. Although the symptoms of infectious

mononucleosis usually resolve in 1 or 2 months, EBV remains dormant

or latent in a few cells in the throat and blood for the rest of the

person's life. Periodically, the virus can reactivate and is

commonly found in the saliva of infected persons. This reactivation

usually occurs without symptoms of illness.

EBV also establishes a lifelong dormant infection in some cells of

the body's immune system. A late event in a very few carriers of

this virus is the emergence of Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal

carcinoma, two rare cancers that are not normally found in the

United States. EBV appears to play an important role in these

malignancies, but is probably not the sole cause of disease.

Most individuals exposed to people with infectious mononucleosis

have previously been infected with EBV and are not at risk for

infectious mononucleosis. In addition, transmission of EBV requires

intimate contact with the saliva (found in the mouth) of an infected

person. Transmission of this virus through the air or blood does not

normally occur. The incubation period, or the time from infection to

appearance of symptoms, ranges from 4 to 6 weeks. Persons with

infectious mononucleosis may be able to spread the infection to

others for a period of weeks. However, no special precautions or

isolation procedures are recommended, since the virus is also found

frequently in the saliva of healthy people. In fact, many healthy

people can carry and spread the virus intermittently for life. These

people are usually the primary reservoir for person-to-person

transmission. For this reason, transmission of the virus is almost

impossible to prevent.

The clinical diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis is suggested on

the basis of the symptoms of fever, sore throat, swollen lymph

glands, and the age of the patient. Usually, laboratory tests are

needed for confirmation. Serologic results for persons with

infectious mononucleosis include an elevated white blood cell count,

an increased percentage of certain atypical white blood cells, and a

positive reaction to a " mono spot " test.

There is no specific treatment for infectious mononucleosis, other

than treating the symptoms. No antiviral drugs or vaccines are

available. Some physicians have prescribed a 5-day course of

steroids to control the swelling of the throat and tonsils. The use

of steroids has also been reported to decrease the overall length

and severity of illness, but these reports have not been published.

*****It is important to note that symptoms related to infectious

mononucleosis caused by EBV infection seldom last for more than 4

months. When such an illness lasts more than 6 months, it is

frequently called chronic EBV infection. However, valid laboratory

evidence for continued active EBV infection is seldom found in these

patients. The illness should be investigated further to determine if

it meets the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS. This

process includes ruling out other causes of chronic illness or

fatigue. For additional information about chronic fatigue syndrome,

please call CDC's toll-free line at ; after the call

goes through, press 22136 to get the CFS menu.