There are a huge number of diseases in the world. Both bacteria and viruses can provoke their development. For successful treatment, it is important not only to know the causative agent of the disease, but also in what ways you can deal with it. We will introduce you to one of these diseases and analyze what infectious mononucleosis (symptoms, treatment) is and how it develops in adults and children.
What is infectious mononucleosis?
The disease with this name has been known since 1885, when it was described by N.F. Filatov. The second name of this ailment is idiopathic lymphadenitis, and its Epstein-Barr virus causes it.
Infectious mononucleosis, the symptoms of which we will consider later, leads to an increase in the spleen and liver, and also significantly changes the composition of the blood.
Ksati, the named virus can be attributed to the family of herpes viruses, but it has one distinctive feature - during its development it does not lead to the death of the host cell, but, on the contrary, stimulates its growth.
After the virus enters the human body, it begins to affect the epithelial tissue in the oral cavity and nasopharynx. It is quite difficult to defeat him, and he remains in the body for almost his whole life. And during periods of weakened immunity, the virus, unfortunately, will make itself felt.
Next, we will consider in detail what combination of symptoms is characteristic of infectious mononucleosis.
Causes of the disease in adults
Before considering infectious mononucleosis in adults - the symptoms of this disease - you need to find out how infection can occur. As a rule, its source is a sick person or a carrier of the virus.
The latter enters the body through air or personal hygiene items and utensils on which droplets of saliva remain. In saliva, the virus is able to persist almost throughout the illness - during the incubation period, during the height of the illness, and even after recovery.
There is a version that infection can occur during intercourse, but it has not been proven to date.
Interestingly, most often the mononucleosis virus infects young people and children, and after 40 years this disease is very rare.
Causes of the development of the disease in children
Unfortunately, children under 10 years old are the most common target for a virus infection. A child at this age is usually in a kindergarten, whether it be a kindergarten or a school, which means that he has the opportunity to catch the infection by airborne droplets.
The virus is not particularly resistant, therefore, in the external environment dies quickly enough. Infection can occur only through close contact, therefore it can not be attributed to excessively contagious.
The Epstein-Barr virus in the salivary glands feels best of all, so it is transmitted most often:
- when sneezing or coughing;
- with a kiss;
- if you use the same dishes, toothbrushes or toys that children often drag in their mouths.
By the way, infection is also possible during a blood transfusion, if it is infected with a virus.
Since the infection is transmitted through the air with droplets of saliva, the risk of infection increases during an outbreak of colds, when everyone coughs and sneezes.
Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis in a child do not appear immediately, since the disease has its own incubation period. It lasts from 5 to 15 days, in some cases it can last up to a month or a little more.
The manifestation of the disease in adults
Infectious mononucleosis in adults begins to manifest its symptoms after the virus from the nasal cavity or gastrointestinal tract enters the bloodstream and invades the lymphocytes, where it becomes an almost permanent resident. With the onset of favorable conditions for him, the disease will not take long to wait for its manifestation.
The most characteristic symptoms of infectious mononucleosis are:
- general weakness;
- muscle pain;
- headache;
- possible nausea;
- chills;
- decreased appetite.
A few days (and sometimes weeks) after the first signs appear, the patient displays the most basic symptoms of mononucleosis:
- Temperature rise. In almost 85-90% of cases, its indicators are quite high, only in some they do not exceed 38 degrees. During a fever, as a rule, there is no severe chills or sweating.
- Enlarged lymph nodes. First of all, the nodes on the neck are involved, and then - located on the armpits and in the groin. Lymph nodes can be the size of a pea to a walnut, when pressed, pain is felt, under the skin they freely move relative to the tissues.
- Sore throat and severe plaque on tonsils.
In addition to the above, the most characteristic symptoms of infectious mononucleosis are other signs that can appear at the same time, but can replace each other:
- During the development of the disease, the virus causes an increase in the liver and spleen. These organs reach their maximum size on day 6-10. This process may be accompanied by yellowness of the skin or sclera of the eyes. The danger of this period is that even minor injuries can lead to rupture of the organ, especially the spleen.
- In addition, a rash appears on the skin (although this is not the main symptom of infectious mononucleosis). It may resemble rashes with scarlet fever. The mentioned symptom can appear at any period of the disease and also disappear suddenly.
Now you know the symptoms accompanying infectious mononucleosis.
A blood test, the indicators of which must be taken into account, as a rule, demonstrates the appearance in the blood of special white blood cells, which are called atypical mononuclear cells. Their blood content reaches 10%.
The whole disease usually lasts for two weeks, but sometimes it can drag on for a couple of months. After this, either recovery occurs or complications begin to manifest. Throughout the treatment, with a diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis, symptoms, a blood test, indicators of the norm of the general condition of the patient's body should be monitored by a specialist.
The manifestation of the disease in children
At present, catching any viral disease is as simple as being constantly surrounded by people. If the baby was in contact with a patient with mononucleosis, then in the next 2-3 months, the disease may declare itself. Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis in a child may not appear if his immunity is strong enough.
If the parents noticed that the temperature appeared, the child is sluggish and constantly wants to sit down or lie down, then you should consult a doctor. According to Komarovsky, describing infectious mononucleosis (symptoms in children), it can manifest itself in different ways, but the lymph nodes necessarily increase. Therefore, the baby first of all needs to feel them on the neck and groin.
Quite often, infectious mononucleosis begins with general catarrhal phenomena that parents attribute to a common cold. But gradually the condition of the child worsens:
- body temperature rises;
- stuffy nose;
- tickling and sore throat appears.
By the way, with the diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis, symptoms (photos of their manifestations you can see in the article) are most often affected by an increase in tonsils and their redness.
In some babies, the disease develops rapidly. This is manifested:
- prolonged high temperature;
- chills;
- general weakness;
- drowsiness
- increased sweating.
A symptom of infectious mononucleosis, which can be called the culmination of the disease, is the granularity on the back of the throat, called follicular hyperplasia.
In addition, in children, as in adults, internal organs — the spleen and liver — increase. And so much so that, for example, the spleen does not stand up, and its rupture occurs. Lymph nodes also enlarge and a rash appears on the body. Most often, it is strong enough and can be localized not only on the arms and legs, but also on the back, stomach, face. Usually, rashes do not cause anxiety, are not accompanied by itching, so no measures should be taken to combat them. If the rash begins to itch after taking antibiotics, then this means an allergic reaction to the medicine.
Almost all infectious disease specialists believe that an important symptom of infectious mononucleosis is polyadenitis, which develops as a result of hyperplasia of lymphoid tissue. On the tonsils, the sky a plaque of gray or whitish-yellow color is formed, which has a loose consistency.
Parents need to pay special attention to the lymph nodes. The cervical enlargement is most pronounced - this can be seen clearly when the child turns his head. If there is an increase in lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity, then this can lead to severe pain, which can provoke an incorrect diagnosis, which is fraught with unnecessary surgical intervention.
As a rule, infectious mononucleosis practically does not manifest symptoms in children up to a year, because such babies usually do not have this disease, since they receive ready-made antibodies from their mother.
Diagnosis in adults
Recognizing a disease by its clinical manifestations is not always possible, especially if it is mild. The most reliable way to recognize infectious mononucleosis is a blood test in which atypical mononuclear cells will be detected.
In order to check the symptoms available for the diagnosis of "infectious mononucleosis", a blood test do different things, for example:
- Serological testing for antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus is performed. If the disease is present, then an elevated level of class M immunoglobulins is noted.
- In laboratory conditions, virus antigens are determined in the blood.
- A PCR study of the patient’s blood is performed, and scraping from the mucous membrane of the oral cavity is also analyzed. If mononucleosis develops, then the DNA of the virus is necessarily detected.
In addition to a blood test, an ultrasound examination of the internal organs is performed, but it more shows the severity of the course of the disease.
Diagnosis of the disease in children
In order to recognize mononucleosis and distinguish it from a cold, the specialist prescribes a series of tests to the child:
- conduct a blood test for the presence of antibodies IgM, IgG to the Epstein-Barr virus;
- make a general and biochemical blood test;
- conduct an ultrasound of the internal organs.
It is quite difficult to make an accurate diagnosis for a child, because there is a risk of confusing the disease, especially at the initial stage, with ordinary sore throat. Hematological changes are an important symptom of infectious mononucleosis, therefore, a serological examination must be carried out.
A blood test in a child, if there is mononucleosis, will show:
- Increased ESR.
- The increase in the content of atypical mononuclear cells up to 10%. But it is worth considering that these cells do not appear in the blood at the very beginning of the development of the disease, but only after a couple of weeks.
Children can have other ailments that have similar symptoms with mononucleosis, so it is very important for the doctor to distinguish this disease from sore throat, to exclude Botkin's disease, acute leukemia, diphtheria and some others. In the arsenal of doctors there are many new diagnostic methods and methods that allow you to quickly recognize a disease, such as PCR.
If infection with infectious mononucleosis occurs, then repeated serological tests are carried out for several months to determine HIV infection, since it can also provoke the appearance of mononuclear cells.
Mononucleosis therapy
Adults are much less likely to suffer from this disease than children, but if infection has occurred and the diagnosis has been confirmed, then therapy can be carried out at home. Whether or not bed rest is necessary at the same time depends on the severity of the body's intoxication. If the disease is accompanied by the manifestation of hepatitis, then a special diet is recommended.
There is no specific treatment for infectious mononucleosis; the following types of therapy are usually performed:
- Carry out detoxification of the body.
- Desensitizing treatment.
- Restorative therapy.
- Fighting the symptoms of the disease, which may include gargling, taking antibiotics, if necessary.
- If the throat is severely swollen and there is a risk of developing asphyxiation, then the administration of Prednisolone is prescribed for several days.
If there are no complications, then after two weeks the disease recedes and recovery occurs.
Treatment of mononucleosis in children
Currently, doctors do not have a single plan for the treatment of this disease in children. There is no such antiviral drug that can quickly cope with the Epstein-Barr virus. Most often, therapy is carried out at home, hospitalization is recommended for the following symptoms:
- the temperature for a long time keeps at around 39 degrees;
- there are pronounced signs of intoxication of the body;
- complications of the disease are evident;
- there is a threat of asphyxiation.
Infectious mononucleosis in children, the symptoms and treatment are almost the same as in adults, but there are also subtleties:
- Treatment is being carried out aimed at reducing the signs of the manifestation of the disease.
- Antipyretic drugs are used at high temperatures, for example, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol.
- And to eliminate the symptoms of tonsillitis, antiseptic drugs such as Imudon, Irs 19 are effective.
General strengthening therapy is carried out, special attention is paid to the intake of vitamins of groups B, C and P. If an ultrasound examination shows an increase in the liver, then a special diet is required, as well as the intake of choleretic drugs and hepatoprotectors.
A good effect in the treatment is given by the combined use of immunomodulators and antiviral drugs.
The use of antibiotics is justified if a secondary bacterial infection joins and complications begin, but penicillin drugs are usually not prescribed, since they provoke the development of allergic reactions in a large number of cases.
To help the intestines, along with antibiotics, it is necessary to take probiotics, for example, Acipol, Narine.
In severe cases, with severe laryngeal edema, a transfer to mechanical ventilation is indicated.
If you follow all the recommendations of doctors, then, as a rule, the disease quickly recedes, and the child feels better and better.
Possible complications of the disease
If the therapy is prescribed incorrectly, or the recommendations of doctors are not followed, then infectious mononucleosis can cause serious complications:
- From the side of the nervous system, it can be meningitis, encephalitis, spinal cord damage, the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome, hallucinations, increased nervous excitement can be observed.
- A blood test can show a decrease in platelets, a decrease in the number of white blood cells, as well as autoimmune anemia.
- There have been cases of hemorrhage in the retina.
- Spontaneous rupture of the spleen, if there is an excessive increase in it.
- Hepatitis.
- Due to severe swelling of the tonsils, respiratory failure can develop.
- The inflammatory process can affect the kidneys.
- Damage to the glandular tissue leads to mumps, pancreatitis, and thyroid problems.
- Due to the fact that the virus strongly suppresses the immune system, purulent infections are possible.
The famous doctor Komarovsky recommends that all parents, if the child is infected with infectious mononucleosis, do not panic, but steadily tolerate the peak of the disease and follow all the doctor's recommendations. When taking many drugs, you must carefully monitor their tolerability by the baby's body, so as not to aggravate the appearance of complications even against this background.
How to recover faster after a disease
The longest recovery occurs in the child's body. At high temperatures, you should not force the baby to eat, let him better drink stewed fruit and fruit drinks, as well as tea with lemon. After the disease begins to recede, the appetite for the child will return. But after a recovery of about 6 months, it will be necessary to follow a diet in order for the liver to recover.
Children who have suffered this disease, quickly get tired at first, feel weak, so do not overload them with physical and mental work.
It is advisable that the doctor monitor the recovery process, who at any time could give valuable recommendations and advice. Consultation with a hepatologist may be required, and a biochemical and serological blood test is also periodically necessary.
To prevent the development of complications after recovery, children are recommended:
- undergo a medical examination;
- to do physical education classes in a special group;
- You can not go hiking, especially over long distances;
- It is forbidden to participate in sports competitions;
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