The Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is in the herpes family of viruses and it ultimately infects 95 percent of adults in the United States by the time they reach 35 to 40 years old. As soon as infacts are born, they are susceptible to EBV. EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis and plays a role in two rare types of cancer - nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt's lymphoma.
The virus is named after the two scientists who discovered it back in the 1960s. The incubation period for children is 7 to 14 days and for adults it can be up to 30 to 50 days. EBV occurs most frequently to people between 10 and 35 years old. When the virus last for more than six months, it frequently called chronic EBV infection and may also be the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Much more research needs to be done to explore this connection.
Mono spreads by contact with mouth moisture of the infected person through kissing (hence the name the "kissing disease", sharing dishes or toothbrushes or dirty utensils. EBV develops slowly and may even seem like a simple cold or a flu. Symptoms include a sore throat for two or more weeks, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and/or groin, discomfort and a persistent fever. Sufferers can reach a fever of up to 105 degrees (I have been there) with a rash, eye pain, discomfort toward bright light and even a resulting swollen spleen or liver infection.
Although the symptoms will usually subside in one or two months, the virus remains dormant in the throat and blood cells forever and can reactivate at any time. EBV also leaves an ongoing dormant infection in some of the immune system cells in the body.
To diagnose EBV, laboratory tests are taken to measure white blood cells and the concentration of EBV antibodies.
Antibiotics are usually prescribed to alleviate the symptoms but there is no cure for EBV and it can strike at any time and compromise your immune system for the rest of your life. Despite the fact there is no cure and the disease can last for months, there is also no recourse because this illness is not recognized by Social Security as a disability.
Now that we have a brief background on what EBV is about, future blogs will present my experience, updated research and as much information as I can garner about this serious, potentially deadline virus.
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2 comments:
I haven't been diagnosed with EBV but I am wondering if I have or have had it. I was diagnosed with mono back in Dec and I was really, really sick. I had the worst sore throat I've ever had, so bad that I thought I was going to die. I also had swollen glands and a fever of 103. I know that EBV can cause mono, so I was wondering if it was actually EBV that I had first? The reason I'm wondering is because I haven't been myself since Dec. I'm much more tired and fatigued than I used to be, and it has gotten a lot worse the last 4 or 5 weeks. Is it true that EBV can keep coming back? I went to the doctors and had my thyroid and iron checked and they said the results are normal. I don't know what else it could be. I'm fatigued all the time. I used to be able to work out for 90 minutes every day and now I can barely do 30-60 min.
I also heard that chronic fatigue syndrome can be related. And is it true that there's something called chronic EBV?
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