There are two ways through which Chronic mono diagnosis can be conducted.
But before we discuss about it, let’s have a clear idea about this viral infection.
Mono or mononucleosis is an infectious disease caused by the EBV (Epstein Barr Virus). The disease, which is also known as Pfeiffer’s disease, Kissing disease and glandular fever as well, can have a negative effect on the health of an individual.
Though, the disease mononucleosis does not usually last for more than 4 months; however, if the disease persists longer than 6 months then it is referred to as chronic mononucleosis. This condition occurs rarely but if it occurs then it must be investigated further to rule out the presence of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Infectious mono may cause complications such as loss of appetite, fatigue etc. which may disintegrate the quality of life of a person. Some of the symptoms of chronic mononucleosis or recurrent mononucleosis include fever, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion and lingering sore throat. Mono is a dormant disease and very rarely does it advance to the chronic stage.
A tissue biopsy or blood test is performed to diagnose the disease. However, laboratory results are not always foolproof of the disease. In some cases, false negative and positive results may occur because of the active response of the antibodies to the EBV tests.
The most common form of diagnosis is by testing the presence of 50% lymphocytes and 10 % atypical lymphocytes when the individual is suffering from fever, pharyngitis etc. Serological test is another method through which you can determine the presence of infectious mononucleosis.
The signs and symptoms of the disease in itself is a method of diagnosis.
Presence of splenomegaly, posterior cervical adenopathy, axillary adenopathy and inguinal adenopathy is an indication of mononucleosis. If physical examination fails to detect splenomegaly then it means the kissing disease is dormant and there is nothing to worry about.
Earlier, Heterophile antibody test was used as the most common method for diagnosing the disease. In this method, the antibody is tested by agglutination of guinea pig, sheep and horse’s red blood cells. However, recent tests that are more efficient in the diagnosis of the infection have been developed.
Immunoglobin G and Immunoglobin M tests are some of the latest testing methods developed.
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