Medical Questions » Viruses Questions » Question No. 1021
| Question: | I have had ' glandular fever' for two years now. I take a lot of vitamins with a good diet. Could you tell me the story of this virus? |
| Answer: | Although romantically named, the ' kissing disease' , infectious mononucleosis or glandular fever, is a most unpleasant disease to catch, and doctors are completely powerless to prevent it or treat it.
Glandular fever is caused by a virus called the Epstein-Barr virus. The virus is passed from one person to another through all the bodily fluids, but most commonly in the tiny droplets of water rhat you exhale when breathing. If you ate unlucky enough to inhale some of these virus carrying droplets from a person with glandular fever, you may catch the disease yourself.
Patients with glandular fever usually have a sore throat, raised temperature, large glands in the neck and other parts of the body, and generally feel absolutely lousy.
Doctors can perform a blood test to prove the diagnosis, and they can give advice on how to cope with the disease, but unfortunately, this advice will not cure the disease. The patient must rest as much as possible, take aspirin or paracetamol for the fever and aches, use gargles for the sore throat, and then wait until the illness passes. There is no evidence that vitamins or other herbal remedies have any effecr upon the course of the disease.
The disease lasts about four weeks, but some patients are unlucky enough to have it persist for several months. The patient is considered infectious while s/he has the large tender glands, and during this time should avoid close contact with others.
After the symptoms have settled, the patient is often left very tired and weak, and it may be another week or two before s/he is fit to resume school or work.
The complicarions of the disease are rare. Some people develop secondary bacterial infections while their resistance is lowered by the glandular fever.
Others may have their spleen infected by the virus, or in even rarer cases, die liver, heart and brain may be involved. Recurrences of the infection for many months or years after the initial infection are not uncommon. |
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