It’s important to recognise the symptoms of mono at an early stage
A whopping 90 per cent of the world population deals with mono (short for mononucleosis) in their life. It’s an infectious disease that is caused by a virus. Most people are infected with it before they’re twenty, and the infection usually passes unnoticed.
Yet it is definitely important to be able to recognise the symptoms at an early stage. The earlier you recognise the disease, the earlier you can recover from it. Pay attention to the following nine signals.
Do you recognise multiple of these signals? Then there’s a chance you’ve got mono.
1. Laryngitis or a swollen throat
When you have a sore throat and your amygdalae or lymph nodes are swollen, you might be dealing with mono. Do you suspect you might have been infected with the virus? You can ask your doctor for a blood test, which can determine whether you’ve indeed got mono or not.
2. Rash
One of the first signs of mononucleosis is developing a rash after you’ve had antibiotics to treat laryngitis. Dr Robert Danoff explains to Reader’s Digest that doctors will prescribe amoxicillin or ampicillin against laryngitis. At that point, the doctor in question doesn’t yet know that the mono is present.
3. Someone you’ve kissed has gotten sick
Another name for mono is the ‘kissing disease’, and it’s named that for a reason: it’s very easy to transfer the disease to someone else. The virus mainly spreads via saliva, but also via blood or sperm. You can also get infected if you drink from a glass that someone else, who is infected, has already drunk from. When you and someone you’ve kissed are showing flu symptoms at the same time, you might want to check whether you’ve been infected with mono.
4. Severe fatigue
Teenagers are known for being tired a lot, but if they are experiencing extreme fatigue for a couple of weeks in a row, they might be dealing with mono. “Often the person says, ‘Doc, I’m sleeping a lot but I’m still tired and don’t feel like I’m doing too much,” doctor Danoff explains.
5. Fever
When you have a fever (temperature between 38.5 and 40 °C) that lasts longer than is normal, it might be a sign of mono. Dr Danoff explains that this is an important clue. “People should suspect mono when they have a prolonged cold-like illness or high fever and swollen glands.” He also says that you should visit a doctor in this case and get a blood test.
6. Breathing problems
Because your amygdalae and (lymph) nodes swell up when you have mono, this can also cause you to have trouble breathing. Luckily, most mono patients recover within two weeks and almost always become immune to the virus afterwards. This means that generally speaking, you can only get mononucleosis once in your life.
7. Abdominal pain
Pain or an uncomfortable sensation in your abdomen can indicate that you have been infected with the virus that causes mono because it can cause your spleen to get enlarged. If this is the case, you should avoid contact sports, since you don’t want your spleen to get damaged further.
8. Reduced appetite
When you don’t feel hungry and you can’t bring yourself to eat anything, you might be dealing with mono. A healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables can help you get rid of the virus more quickly.
9. Headaches
Although not all mono patients suffer from headaches and they can also be symptoms of lots of other things, it can definitely also be a sign of mono. It is difficult to recognise, though.
A whopping 90 per cent of the world population deals with mono (short for mononucleosis) in their life. It’s an infectious disease that is caused by a virus. Most people are infected with it before they’re twenty, and the infection usually passes unnoticed.
Yet it is definitely important to be able to recognise the symptoms at an early stage. The earlier you recognise the disease, the earlier you can recover from it. Pay attention to the following nine signals.
Do you recognise multiple of these signals? Then there’s a chance you’ve got mono.
1. Laryngitis or a swollen throat
When you have a sore throat and your amygdalae or lymph nodes are swollen, you might be dealing with mono. Do you suspect you might have been infected with the virus? You can ask your doctor for a blood test, which can determine whether you’ve indeed got mono or not.
2. Rash
One of the first signs of mononucleosis is developing a rash after you’ve had antibiotics to treat laryngitis. Dr Robert Danoff explains to Reader’s Digest that doctors will prescribe amoxicillin or ampicillin against laryngitis. At that point, the doctor in question doesn’t yet know that the mono is present.
3. Someone you’ve kissed has gotten sick
Another name for mono is the ‘kissing disease’, and it’s named that for a reason: it’s very easy to transfer the disease to someone else. The virus mainly spreads via saliva, but also via blood or sperm. You can also get infected if you drink from a glass that someone else, who is infected, has already drunk from. When you and someone you’ve kissed are showing flu symptoms at the same time, you might want to check whether you’ve been infected with mono.
4. Severe fatigue
Teenagers are known for being tired a lot, but if they are experiencing extreme fatigue for a couple of weeks in a row, they might be dealing with mono. “Often the person says, ‘Doc, I’m sleeping a lot but I’m still tired and don’t feel like I’m doing too much,” doctor Danoff explains.
5. Fever
When you have a fever (temperature between 38.5 and 40 °C) that lasts longer than is normal, it might be a sign of mono. Dr Danoff explains that this is an important clue. “People should suspect mono when they have a prolonged cold-like illness or high fever and swollen glands.” He also says that you should visit a doctor in this case and get a blood test.
6. Breathing problems
Because your amygdalae and (lymph) nodes swell up when you have mono, this can also cause you to have trouble breathing. Luckily, most mono patients recover within two weeks and almost always become immune to the virus afterwards. This means that generally speaking, you can only get mononucleosis once in your life.
7. Abdominal pain
Pain or an uncomfortable sensation in your abdomen can indicate that you have been infected with the virus that causes mono because it can cause your spleen to get enlarged. If this is the case, you should avoid contact sports, since you don’t want your spleen to get damaged further.
8. Reduced appetite
When you don’t feel hungry and you can’t bring yourself to eat anything, you might be dealing with mono. A healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables can help you get rid of the virus more quickly.
9. Headaches
Although not all mono patients suffer from headaches and they can also be symptoms of lots of other things, it can definitely also be a sign of mono. It is difficult to recognise, though.