Sore throat, swollen lymph nodes,headaches, tiredness, fever. Mumps, measles, mono? Oh my! It could be infectious mononucleosis.
According to WebMD, mononucleosis, more commonly called mono, is a viral illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV. The virus dwells and grows in the nose and throat. Mono causes the previously listed symptoms and can include other symptoms such as puffy eyes, a loss of appetite, hepatitis, a red rash, nausea, vomiting and an enlarged spleen, indicated by pain in the upper left portion of the abdomen.
Rob Trundle of Pediatrics Associates of Charlottesville said the most common symptoms are "really red tonsils with pus on them" and swollen lymph nodes on the sides of the neck, but there are many different symptoms that occur in different cases.
He added that the virus incubates in the body for 15 to 64 days before the patients show symptoms.
To lower the risk for contracting the "kissing disease," as mono is sometimes called, Trundle suggests the typical illness prevention protocol of hand washing, not sharing eating utensils and not drinking after others.
He added that because mono is only spread by salivary contact, it is not highly contagious. But of course kissing, during which saliva is transmitted from an infected person's mouth to another person's mouth, is one of the most common ways the disease is spread.
Unfortunately sometimes it can be hard to identify which people with whom to avoid tongue wrestling, especially since some carriers do not know that they are carrying the virus. Trundle said people can contract EBV, be asymptomatic and spread the virus while it is still active, which typically is for about four to eight weeks. In other words, anyone can be transmitting this virus.
If you decide against duct-taping your mouth shut as protection from mono and are caught sucking face with an EBV carrier and develop the symptoms of mono, it is not the end of the world. According to Trundle, some people can have the virus and only have a sore throat for a few days.
There is no medication that can get rid of mono but there are treatments to decrease discomfort. The Student Health Web site suggests resting, gargling salt water and taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen. In some cases, corticosteroids are prescribed to reduce the swelling of the throat or spleen.
"There's not much you can do," Trundle said. "There's no cure for it -- just time."
First-year College student Elizabeth Braden said when she had mono this past spring her doctor had her take four doses of steroids per day for five days. The steroids improved her condition and did not cause any side effects. However, she said that the sixth day -- when she did not take the steroids -- was the worst day of her illness.
Braden said feeling tired constantly, being unable to be active and having difficulty simply walking up stairs was an unpleasant way to end high school.
"I'm glad that I had it and once you get it you can't contract it again," Braden said. "I'm glad I didn't get it in college."
Braden's optimism can be shared with other students who have already had mono since they cannot have the illness a second time because the virus, which comes from the herpes virus family, remains in their bodies.
"Once [the virus] infects you, [it] never leave[s]," Trundle said. "The body learns how to keep [the virus] in check."
Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have EBV living in them already. First-year Engineering student Meghan Abramczyk experienced mono during her first month of college. Thinking she had strep throat, Abramczyk said she went to Student Health, where she was informed that she had mono. She said Student Health gave her Tylenol and steroids and told her to rest and avoid activity.
Although she said her neck was swollen to the point that the nurses at Student Health were afraid her breathing would be blocked, she continued to go to classes since she was unlikely to spread the virus to classmates.
Abramczyk's assumption that she had strep is not uncommon for people with mono. Sometimes people are given penicillin or amoxicillin when they have mono but are showing strep-like symptoms, according to Trundle. This can result in a very bad, measles-like rash. For this reason Trundle suggests always having a strep test before being treated for the virus.
The most serious problem with mono is rupturing the spleen because it becomes to swollen due to the disease. Trundle said the spleen swells because mono is an infection of B lymphocytes that live in the spleen.
Rupturing the spleen can be prevented by avoiding contact sports. However, not everyone with mono has a swollen spleen.
"No one knows why some get [a swollen spleen] and others don't," Trundle said. "If a kid has a swollen spleen, he'll probably get a swollen liver."
While it is fairly common to develop hepatitis from mono, it is not threatening, unlike the hepatitis from the hepatitis B virus, Trundle said. The inflamed liver can cause jaundice -- a yellowing of the skin -- which can frighten some patients but does not lead to health complications.
So, if your tonsils are enlarged and covered in pus and you have a fever, visit the doctor, take some pain releiver and try to avoid kissing anyone for a month, accordng to the Center for Disease Control.
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