Patient's question:
Just recently, a friend of mine has had a persistent fever for a few days, with a peak temperature of 39.8 degrees, often exceeding 39 degrees. At the same time, he also has a sore throat and swollen cervical lymph nodes. There are also lymphocytes in his blood. Seeing how much he's suffering, they decided to take him to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed him with infectious mononucleosis.What kind of help is needed: What is infectious mononucleosis, and what should be done?
Doctor's answer:
Infectious mononucleosis is an acute self-limiting infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Its clinical diagnostic features include fever, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, a significant and persistent increase in peripheral blood lymphocytes with the appearance of atypical lymphocytes, a positive heterophile agglutination test, and the re-emergence of anti-EBV antibodies after infection. There is no specific treatment for this disease; symptomatic treatment is the foundation, and most patients can recover on their own. When secondary bacterial infections occur, such as β-hemolytic streptococcal infections in the throat or tonsils, antibiotics like penicillin G or erythromycin can be used. Some believe that metronidazole (Flagyl) or clindamycin may also have a certain effect.