Post by title1parent on Jul 9, 2010 7:47:40 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2480284,6_1_NA09_MONO_S1-100709.article
Sore throat and fatigue? Could be mono
July 9, 2010
By SUSAN FRICK CARLMAN scarlman@stmedianetwork.com
That snoozing teen upstairs just might be dealing with more than an adolescent's extraordinary sleep needs. It's possible he or she is hosting an uninvited guest named Epstein-Barr. Its friends usually call it mono.
Infectious mononucleosis, as the usually ensuing disease is officially known, is not a reportable condition, so local hospitals and health departments have no reliable information about its incidence. Health care specialists do report anecdotally that they seem to run across mono a little more often at this time of year.
Mary Anderson, infection control manager at Edward Hospital in Naperville, said the literature officially shows no seasonal incidence variations, and the disease is seen in all seasons.
"I think, though, that given that mono affects teenagers and young adults most prominently, it seems that we see more cases in spring and summer -- times when they're home from college, and at times when they're congregating," Anderson said.
Nearly always triggered by the Epstein-Barr virus, a herpes strain, mono is sometimes called the "kissing disease" -- and with good reason.
"It is one way that it can be transmitted," Anderson said. "It's contracted through respiratory secretions, so it can also be passed by sharing drinks."
The informal observations shed some light on the way young children don't suffer from the ailment to the same extent as older kids and young adults.
"Kids tend to get a smaller amount of the virus, mostly because it's passed along by kissing, so teenagers get a higher dose," said Dr. Melody Derrick, a family practitioner and staff physician at Central DuPage Hospital.
Also factoring into the greater heap of misery piled on teens and 20-somethings is the way their bodies respond differently to the virus from those of young children.
"It's kind of interesting, because most kids younger than 15 get exposed to Epstein-Barr virus when they're younger, but most do not show any symptoms," Derrick said.
Most of us are carriers of EBV, actually. Ninety percent of the population is infected with the virus by age 25. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 95 percent of the population age 40 and older carries EBV. Most people never wind up knocked off their feet by it, however.
Those who do eventually develop its symptoms -- sore throat, fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, chills, muscle aches -- can be headed for a few bedridden days a month or more before they begin to feel ill. And they can share their destiny with others throughout that time.
There is also a long post-recovery tenure for the contagion. Derrick said the virus can remain in the saliva for up to a year and a half after a person sheds the symptoms and returns to normal activities.
"You can get over it and feel fine, but 18 months later you kiss your boyfriend," she said, "and all of a sudden he's got mono."
Sore throat and fatigue? Could be mono
July 9, 2010
By SUSAN FRICK CARLMAN scarlman@stmedianetwork.com
That snoozing teen upstairs just might be dealing with more than an adolescent's extraordinary sleep needs. It's possible he or she is hosting an uninvited guest named Epstein-Barr. Its friends usually call it mono.
Infectious mononucleosis, as the usually ensuing disease is officially known, is not a reportable condition, so local hospitals and health departments have no reliable information about its incidence. Health care specialists do report anecdotally that they seem to run across mono a little more often at this time of year.
Mary Anderson, infection control manager at Edward Hospital in Naperville, said the literature officially shows no seasonal incidence variations, and the disease is seen in all seasons.
"I think, though, that given that mono affects teenagers and young adults most prominently, it seems that we see more cases in spring and summer -- times when they're home from college, and at times when they're congregating," Anderson said.
Nearly always triggered by the Epstein-Barr virus, a herpes strain, mono is sometimes called the "kissing disease" -- and with good reason.
"It is one way that it can be transmitted," Anderson said. "It's contracted through respiratory secretions, so it can also be passed by sharing drinks."
The informal observations shed some light on the way young children don't suffer from the ailment to the same extent as older kids and young adults.
"Kids tend to get a smaller amount of the virus, mostly because it's passed along by kissing, so teenagers get a higher dose," said Dr. Melody Derrick, a family practitioner and staff physician at Central DuPage Hospital.
Also factoring into the greater heap of misery piled on teens and 20-somethings is the way their bodies respond differently to the virus from those of young children.
"It's kind of interesting, because most kids younger than 15 get exposed to Epstein-Barr virus when they're younger, but most do not show any symptoms," Derrick said.
Most of us are carriers of EBV, actually. Ninety percent of the population is infected with the virus by age 25. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 95 percent of the population age 40 and older carries EBV. Most people never wind up knocked off their feet by it, however.
Those who do eventually develop its symptoms -- sore throat, fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, chills, muscle aches -- can be headed for a few bedridden days a month or more before they begin to feel ill. And they can share their destiny with others throughout that time.
There is also a long post-recovery tenure for the contagion. Derrick said the virus can remain in the saliva for up to a year and a half after a person sheds the symptoms and returns to normal activities.
"You can get over it and feel fine, but 18 months later you kiss your boyfriend," she said, "and all of a sudden he's got mono."