Symptoms of Mono
Signs and symptoms of mono (Infectious Mononucleosis), also known as the kissing disease or glandular fever, are recognizable by the patient. It can be mistaken for other diseases and there is also the Epstein-Barr virus negative mononucleosis.
Mononucleosis symptoms and signs are malaise, sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph glands. The fever is low grade. Prolonged fatigue may be one of the symptoms of mono, as well as myalgia. Since the virus is lymphotropic, it may cause splenic enlargement and it may even cause splenic rupture, which is fatal. Mortalities in this disease are rare. Sometimes liver involvement is possible, so the person may have hepatomegaly, jaundice and elevated liver function tests. If this happens, the doctor might consider Hepatitis A, B, or C as differentials. Uvular edema, palatal petechial and a rapid heart rate can also be signs of mono.
There are a number of possible symptoms of mono but the classical signs last for 1 to 4 weeks, namely: fever, pharyngitis, and lymphadenopathy, which may be found in the neck. The patient may remember a history of contact with a person with pharyngitis weeks before. The mononucleosis rash can occur when a patient has taken antibiotics like ampicillin or amoxicillin, thinking that it is just a streptococcal infection of the throat. The laboratory tests show elevated white blood cell count, an increase in atypical white blood cells, and a positive heterophile antibody test or monospot test. The monospot test might be negative so a test for EBV specific antibody might be requested. If it is still negative, the mononucleosis is not caused by EBV.
Management for uncomplicated mononucleosis caused by EBV infection is usually supportive. This is aimed at relieving symptoms. This includes drinking lots of fluids, taking acetaminophen for fever and body pains, and resting, if the body feels fatigued. NIH’s MedlinePlus says that antivirals (like Acyclovir) and steroids (like Prednisone) have little benefit. Without these drugs, the fever usually subsides in less than two weeks. In 4 weeks, the lymphadenopathies and the splenomegaly usually are gone. Fatigue may last for a few months.
There are mono symptoms that are emergencies such as when a patient develops an acute abdominal pain. The patient may be having a ruptured spleen. The patient may have difficulty swallowing or breathing. The tonsils may be so enlarged. The patient may be hospitalized, because he may need a tube, due to feeding difficulties. The patient may experience a stiff neck or severe weakness. It may be a result of neurological complications. The patient’s stiff neck may be from meningitis. The patient’s severe weakness may be from Guillain-Barre syndrome. When in doubt about the symptoms of mono, you should always consult your doctor.
What is Mono?
What is Mono? Mono is the common name for infectious mononucleosis. Mononucleosis is a viral disease that causes many different symptoms. The symptoms of mono usually begin with a feeling of great fatigue. Other symptoms include; fever, a general ill feeling, a sore throat, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. As the disease progresses, the sore throat generally becomes worse. The tonsils become swollen and are covered with a yellowish-white film. The lymph nodes in the neck may also become painful as they swell. Some people may also experience more severe symptoms, such as shortness of breath or sensitivity to light, but these are rare.
Parents may be wondering, what is mononucleosis exactly. Mono is often called the kissing disease because it is a virus that is spread through close contact and saliva. This disease generally affects children ages 15 through 17, although, it can affect anyone of any age. Most of the time, Mono is thought to be related to the Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV virus for short. Mono can also be caused by Acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) which is caused by the herpes virus family.
If Mono is suspected, it is important the person be seen by a physician to receive a definite diagnosis. A doctor will likely do blood work as well as a monospot test. The doctor will also do a physical examination which will likely show swollen glands, and possibly a swollen spleen. Once a diagnosis of Mono is determined, the only thing to be done is to try and lessen the severity of the symptoms. Since infectious mononucleosis is a virus, there are no medications to treat it.
What is mono called? Mono is known by many names, which leads to confusion among different groups of people. In some places, mono is known as glandular fever, Pfeiffer’s disease, or Filatov’s disease. Regardless of the name it is given, it is still the same disease. Most people can recover from this disease without any difficulty, but people with weakened immune systems have the potential to become very ill, or even die from the disease. Others may experience side effects such as a ruptured spleen or temporary facial paralysis. It is very important that people with mono do not share utensils or kiss anyone until they are no longer contagious. The mono virus can remain contagious in some people for up to a few months, so loved ones should be very careful.
This virus is contagious with anyone in very close contact and through saliva. This is why it is known as the kissing disease. Mono can be a minor virus that simply irritates the person infected, or it can be very serious in other people. If someone is suffering from severe fatigue, a sore throat, fever, or a general feeling of being unwell, they should be examined by a doctor for the possibility of mono.
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I think I had Mono at one time but I was never diagnosed. I had a horrible summer between my Sophomore and Junior year in high school. I had a recurring fever that wouldn’t resolve and it took forever before I felt like myself again.
Wow, why were you not diagnosed? Did the doctor just miss it or did you not feel bad enough to go to the doctor? I’m surprised that it went away on its own like that. I would have thought it would have kept getting worse without treatment.
There is no treatment, I currently have it, my spleen has been keeping me in the fetal position for about 8 hours now. There is, Nothing you can do about it.
What’s weird is that every person I know who has had mono has gotten it REALLY bad. I wonder why they got hit so hard with it when other people only get “irritated”?
It’s amazing how much I DIDN’T know about Mono. I don’t think I know anyone who has had it. Luckily my friends and I avoided getting mono during our teen years and I’m in my 30′s now and still haven’t had it. I hope I never do either.
If you are going to get it it may be better to do so when you are younger and probably have family around to take care of you. It’s an even bigger issue when you have a job and children to deal with at the same time.
I had a friend who thought that she had strep throat and took some antibiotics she had from a former infection. Instead it seemed to be getting worse. I have learned a lot from this article. I didn’t know that the symptoms could last so long. At least that seems like a really long time for me. I can’t imagine being sick for that long.
In this day and age getting something this serious that lasts so long and doesn’t respond to any drugs is scary. I know there are scarier diseases out there and I don’t mean to downplay them in any way but you’d think we’d have come up with something by now especially since it effects so many teenagers.
That’s a very good point. I wonder why the research funds aren’t available to develop something to treat Mono, when other diseases seem to be conquered (to some extent) pretty quickly. Maybe it’s sort of a hidden illness?
It is a good thing that we have this article about Mono. Diseases today have similar symptoms so having a guide like this will help us determine whether we have mono or other diseases.
I too underestimated mono. I didn’t realize it could be as serious a condition as it is, I think the name the kissing disease almost makes it sound cute, but obviously it’s not to be underestimated.
The symptoms of mono can obviously be quite debilitating, I think the best thing you can do is take it seriously and get the rest you need in order to recover.
My sister has recently been diagnosed with mono after battling for ages to be taken seriously by the doctor. She really needs to take time to recover, as you said, but it’s hard when you risk losing your job.
I know someone who had mono, it really knocked them about and made them pretty darn ill.
I had no idea this was such a nasty virus, man I am not sharing the water fountain no more!
That’s a really good strategy! Last week I heard about a student at a local school who was drinking directly from the fountain. I mean he had his mouth right on it! I hope the kids are being educated about this illness.
I got misdiagnosed with glandular fever, it was some locum doctor who didn’t really know what he was doing, I think it was just a 24 hour bug or something as I felt much better the next day.
Mono left me so drained, it was like an anaesthetic.
As already stated Mono is a serious condition more people need to be aware of it especially young people.
The problem is when you are young you don’t worry about anything, when people try and warn you about illness and disease you just think yeah right it will never happen to me.
Yes it is indeed hard to get through to the young and get them not to share straws or kiss too many people, etc, they think you are just been a drag.
I must admit when I was young there is no way I would listen, I certainly wouldn’t stop kissing boys.
Yeah who are we kidding? Stopping kids from kissing that’s like trying to stop the tide from coming in.
I don’t suppose there is anything you can do so you can still Kiss and lower your risk, not that I am suggesting a Kissing condom or anything but would a anti bacterial spray or something help?
I am no expert but I am not sure using an oral anti bacterial spray would help, a lot of viruses are very hard to kill.
I think there are just some viruses kids are going to get whether we like it or not. As long as the symptoms are noticed quick enough viruses like this can be treated. There are some things you aren’t gonna keep kids from doing. You could talk to them till your blue in the face but they aren’t going to listen.
This is exactly why I don’t understand how people at night clubs and bars could just start making out with some random stranger who MAY or may not have mono. Nasty!
Ray-I’m thinking people in nightclubs should be worried about a whole lot more than mono! At least some signs of mono are visible. Too bad ERs don’t get with the program and realize adults are more susceptible than they test for.
I don’t know anyoone that has experienced Mono, but as serious as it sounds, I’m suprised there isn’t a vaccine for it especially since, if contracted, it can stay in your system for months.
I never realized how common this disease is. After reading I don’t think I’m looking forward to my first kiss at all. Blah.
Luckily, I did not get anything as scary as mono when I was young and hopefully will not get it as I grow older. But a childhood friend of mine was not as lucky. She got the virus and died when her spleen burst.
I think they should educate the children in the schools about this contagious kissing disease. All the fairy tells and stories that are shared with kids about relationships and marriage do not mention diseases such as this one.
Amie, sorry to hear about your friend. This is a disease that is obviously “swept under the rug.” I never knew about this disease growing up and I can almost guarentee that kids today don’t know about it either.
Aside from kissing you can also get mono from sharing drinks or food with someone who has mono. When I found that out, I started asking all my friends if they had it before I would let them share food with me. Yeah it made me look strange. But just because I share my food, doesn’t mean you have to share your mono!
Shai, when I first read your reply, I thought wow that is extreme. Then I started thinking about all the symptoms you can get and the fact that adults can get it even worse than kids. That made me realize that asking if they have it isn’t that extreme after all.
Unfortunately they probably don’t even know it yet, especially if they are still at school. I’ve warned my niece never to borrow her friend’s razors when spending the night because you never know where their parents have been or if they use it too! (Slighty off-topic but you can never be too careful.)
This is really gross. But aside from contact with another person who has it, how else can you get this disease? Obviously not everyone who has mono goes around kissing and sharing with others who do.
May, they say you can get it from not taking good care of yourself. If you are known for skipping meals or not eating nutriously and not getting the sleep your body needs and requires. These are things that will make you more prone to getting diseases like this.
I am trying to recover from Mono and I have been trying to strengthen my immune system in any way possible, including vitamin C tablets. I have been focusing on diet a lot more too. It’s difficult but I don’t want to get worse.
You can never be too careful now a days. It’s always good to make sure that everyone you come in contact doesn’t have mono. Great post, it really makes you more aware of things like this.
I had mono when I was a teenager and it was awful. I was so sick and pale and I had zero energy. I don’t remember exactly how much school I missed but it was at least a full month.
Mono is a miserable thing to have. I think it’s very important that people know the symptoms and how to best treat it!
I lived with undiagnosed mono for a long time. I went to the doctor with a severe sore throat and he diagnosed me with strep throat. I took the antibiotics for strep and it helped and the severe sore throat went away but it kept hurting a little and I couldn’t put my arms down from pain in my armpits. Turns out I had both Strep and Mono.
My cousin had mono so badly that she missed one year of high school and had to repeat it. Some days she just didn’t seem to be able to get out of bed. I appreciated reading all the symptoms but some I did not understand. Hopefully there will be other articles on this site that will help me understand this disease more fully.
My nephew asked me yesterday if people got the kissing disease from kissing. I decided to check it out. I had no idea mono was the same thing as glandular fever, which I have read about in novels. I explained to him that any spread of saliva could pass mono on to others, and that the illness could cause serious harm to some people. I think I’ll print off this article and send it to him via snail mail. I’ll call it a “love letter” from his aunt Lucinda and warn him not to do any kissing. He’s 13 and hates girls — or, at least he did. I wonder.
I had no idea that one of the symptoms of mono is a sore throat. I know a few people that have had mono and all they ever mentioned was the severe tiredness and weakness from the virus. They also universally agree that it took them weeks and even months to recover fully.
The symptoms of mono are awful, I can’t wait to feel a bit better.
I was also surprised that Mono has been going on in our world for centuries. In books, I have read about glandular disease and I thought it was something like tonsillitis. Now I understand that it was Mono or a related disease and we humans have been passing it around for generations.
I’ve never had mono, and I certainly don’t want to have it at my age. It’s good to know the symptoms and causes I’ve known a lot of young people who missed a great deal of school with this illness. I didn’t realize it had such far-reaching complications.
I have had mono since June 2011 and it’s now Feb. 2012. I missed 3 months of work. I have suffered with a rapid heartbeat the entire time. It’s very scary, Along with a rapid heartbeat, also have joint pain, extreme weakness, nausea, neck pain, headache, night sweats, tingling and numbness in fingers and hands, light sensitivity, leg and arm weakness and pain, muscle twitching, feeling of fainting. I am 33 years old. For an adult, mono can be very severe. I am finally after 9 months, starting to come out of it. Probably about 75% better. I have ok days and then I have bad days where I almost have to stop what I’m doing right away and lay down. I am only physically able to work 3 days a week now and I have to have a day off in between each work day in order to function.i was told by a Doctor high doses of a buffered vitamin C help heal you faster. Also take garlic (raw and pill form) a good multi vitamin, milk thistle, vitamin d, and tons of water. Just wish there could be something to help with the rapid heartbeat. A cure for mono needs to be discovered….
Thanks for sharing your story and tips on supplements that are helping you towards recovery. I hope you continue to make progress. I can see how the rapid heartbeat thing is alarming, even though you know the reason for it.
EBV and CMV cause mononucleosis….6 years ago I was diagnosed with CMV (cytomegalo virus) lasted about a year. 9 months ago daignosed with mono again EBV (Ebstein-barr virus) experiencing this 2 times in my life has been life changing. I pray everyday that this completely goes away and that I never get this way again. Once you have mono it’s in your system for ever. From what I’ve read people generally does not get sick with it more than once. The virus usually stays dormant in the body, But some people do have it reoccur.
I am surprised to know that mono isn’t always serious. I guess I had the impression that it was always a big deal. I’ve always heard about people missing a month of school or more.
I was never taught anything about mono at school, I think there needs to be more awareness.
I was never taught anything in school about mono either, maybe they were worried they would have to have the drinking fountain removed, but yes there does need to be more awareness.
What exactly is malaise supposed to be? I always thought that simply meant tiredness but since the post goes on to discuss the fatigue afterwards, it doesn’t sound like that is the case. Is mono that prevalent these days? I haven’t heard of anyone I know having mono for years.
I think malaise is just a general feeling of illness. Lack of energy, lack of motivation both characterize malaise. You can have that even if you don’t have other, obvious symptoms.
Mono can also make your gentlemen parts swell apparently.
Wow, there seem to be so many symptoms of mono, some which are possible to be mistaken for a different illness. I’m finding it a bit confusing.
It’s amazing that mono can show up with so many different symptoms. This is one disease it would be great if they’d find a cure for since it comes with so many different complications. Still, it’s good to know so you can at least try to prevent some of the complications.
I’m glad I found this article because I really didn’t realize how serious mono could be. I thought people with the kissing disease became weak with fatigue and a sore throat. Now I’m better informed of all the symptoms.
If such a high percentage of people contract mono, there must be a lot who don’t have any symptoms because I don’t know anyone who has had mono. I haven’t even heard of an outbreak in the area schools for a good twenty years so I’m wondering how accurate these statistics are.
It never occurred to me that mono can be so serious that it can lead to a ruptured spleen and other medical complications. I think that most people aren’t really aware of what damage can mono do to the body.
Great article – I know many people who have had the symptoms of Mono but never went to the doctor. I did not know that mono was only transferred through saliva. So even if you drink out of someone else’s cup that has mono you can get it.
This is a very informative article! I wouldn’t even know this disease if I have it. I mean, I haven’t heard of this until now and like some of you here, this topic was never introduced nor discussed when I was in school. I’m glad I stumbled on this website as I have kids (who are already teens and tweens) who need to know about this disease.
I’d never heard of Mono until now. It seems so common and so easy to catch that I’m surprised it’s not part of my everyday awareness like the cold, cough or flu.
As a person who had a battle with mono 3 years ago, I must say this information would have been more useful then for me personally. All these symptoms can really sneak up on if you aren’t careful. Take action sooner rather than later with mono.
It seems like several people at school have come down with mono in the last few weeks, so I’m trying to find out more about it. This article is helpful, though I need to use a dictionary to fully understand some of the long medical words.
My boyfriend has Mono and I’ve been looking everywhere for useful information on it. My parents freaked out when they heard but luckily I seem to be in the clear. I’m quite scared to read about all the long term issues he may face.
I have had full fledged mono for about 2 weeks now, I have no idea how long this hell is going to last, I’m 17 years old. Facing all the simpsons, including a spleen so enlarged that it pushes on other organs, making me feel as if I’m going to vomit, this is a new symptom for me, it feels like all my organs are expanding to the point of bursting but my parents feel as If I’m exagerrating and will not follow up with the doctor. Furthermore I am a senior in highschool aspiring to go to school for engineering next year, I can only be accepted if I pass this year. I’ve missed 2 weeks of school and I plan on missing more. This has been the most painfull and worst two weeks of my life, and I see no light at the end of the tunnel. My girlfriend of 2 years hasnt seen me in 2 weeks, and she does all she can over text and over the phone, somehow even being sick, and kissing her before the symptoms arose she didn’t get sick. Thank god. I couldn’t stand seeing her deal with this, all In all, I hope I can find an end to this pain and suffering. To those who got through it, I respect you.
Ben, I feel so bad for you and just wanted to let you know that as the girlfriend of a Momo victim she’ll be there for you. There are some options for distance learning to keep up with school, which is what my boyfriend may do. Hoping you feel better than this soon.
I never heard of someone having an enlarged spleen with mononucleosis. Is that a common symptom? How would one know if their spleen was inflammed without an ultrasound or something? I suppose the doctor must be able to feel it from the outside of the abdomen, as well.
I’m wondering if more cases of splenectomies might be caused by mono than people realize. I know that a lot of people don’t get diagnosed with mono, especially if their symptoms are just long running but mild. There are a lot of cases of enlarged and ruptured spleens where there is no cause found.