Mononucleosis. What is it and how dangerous is the disease?

Viral acute disease associated withdamage to the mouth, throat, fever, affecting the lymph nodes, and often the liver and spleen, called mononucleosis. What is it and what causes it?

The main causative agent of this disease isEpstein-Barr virus. It contains DNA, has a tropism (orientation reaction of cells, the direction of their growth or movement) to B-lymphocytes, plays an etiological role in the development of Berkit's lymphoma, some lymphomas in people with weakened immunity, nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The virus has been able to persist (stay) in cells as a latent infection for quite a long time. Its antigenic components have much in common with other viruses of the herpes group. The strains of the virus isolated from patients with mononucleosis of various clinical forms have no significant differences.

Common angina - most often with herconfused mononucleosis. What is it - the same thing or only diseases with similar symptoms? How can you distinguish these diseases? Their similarity is always manifested in the general reactions of the human body: the temperature rises, fever and other symptoms appear. After all, infectious diseases are diseases caused and supported by the presence of a pathogen, an alien agent, in the body. They are very dynamic, the symptomatic picture can change quickly. Therefore, in order to distinguish mononucleosis from angina, it is important to establish the correct diagnosis, to go through all the necessary studies, which will allow you to choose the correct treatment algorithm. Angina can occur as an independent disease or be a manifestation of another disease. Infectious mononucleosis is characterized not only by inflammation in the throat, but also by a significant increase in lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and pronounced changes in the blood leukocyte formula.

It is an increased amount of white blood.cell characterizes mononucleosis. What is it and how dangerous is the disease? The terms "Pfeifer disease", "glandular fever", "monocytic angina", "benign lymphoblastosis", "Filatov's disease" and others are also synonymous. Most often mononucleosis occurs between the ages of 14 and 17 years, it is often called the disease of students. Most often, the virus is transmitted by airborne droplets; all household items of the patient are also contagious.

Late identification and illiteracy treatmentcan lead to serious complications, therefore, if mononucleosis is suspected, a monosperm test is required to identify the main pathogen. This blood test allows to exclude other diseases similar to mononucleosis by symptoms (lymphocytic leukemia, oropharyngeal diphtheria, pseudotuberculosis, viral hepatitis, chlamydial pneumonia, rubella, toxoplasmosis, adenovirus infection).

Unified classification of clinical manifestationsinfectious mononucleosis is not. But you should know that in addition to the typical forms of the disease, atypical ones can also appear. The latter may be characterized by the absence of one of the main symptoms of the disease (lymphadenopathy, tonsillitis, enlargement of the liver and spleen), the predominance and severity of one of its manifestations (necrotic tonsillitis, exanthema), the occurrence of unusual symptoms (jaundice) or other manifestations that relate to complications.

Long stay in the body of the virus leadsto the development of the chronic form of the disease. It can only be detected by conducting a series of analyzes of tissue samples for histology. The difficulties lie in the inconstancy of the symptomatic picture, more or less characterizing mononucleosis. What is it - the chronic type of this disease, and how can it be expressed? It can be constant weakness, swollen lymph nodes, severe drowsiness, sore throat, aching joints, frequent colds. There may be fluctuations in body temperature, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, various types of pharyngitis, pneumonia may appear unexpectedly. The spleen and liver are markedly enlarged, the appearance of oral and even genital herpes is characteristic.

Similarity with all kinds of infectiousdiseases greatly complicates the correct diagnosis. The danger of chronic mononucleosis is strongly weakened immunity, because it increases the risk of other infections, various complications (edema of the pharyngeal mucosa, spleen rupture and others). In this form of the disease, it is necessary to most clearly define the criteria that make it possible to identify mononucleosis and conduct the correct course of treatment.

It should be noted that there is a high resistance of antibodies in people who have undergone mononucleosis. What it is and how is it expressed? Most people who have been ill develop immunity to the virus. But he continues to remain in the human body, is able to periodically be activated and transmitted to other people.