Infectious mononucleosis, what it is and how it spreads kissing disease

Have you ever heard of the "kissing disease"? His real name is infectious mononucleosis, and owes its striking "nickname" to that normally appears among adolescents due to its way of transmitting: through saliva. In essence, it is a viral infection caused by a herpes virus.

The first thing you need to know is that this disease usually has a duration of one to two weeks, and that it heals without too many problems, so the full recovery is the norm after passing this disease.

How is the kissing disease spread?

This disease, which not only affects adolescents although it is more known by them, is transmitted "from person to person through secretions from the respiratory tract of the affected person", as explained by the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), They add that people maintain the ability to transmit the disease until several months after being infected.

This disease also draws attention that the carrier does not have to have any symptoms, which makes it more difficult to realize that we can "hit" something. Also, the infectious mononucleosis it has no date in which it is more common: it occurs throughout the year and has no "predilection" for seasons or seasons.

What are the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis or kissing disease?

The most common symptoms in the Infectious mononucleosis in children and adolescents they are fever, sore throat, enlargement of the lymph nodes (especially those of the neck) and also of the spleen and liver. Also sometimes a skin rash may appear. It is also common to have fatigue and lack of appetite, which is sometimes maintained for several weeks after the mononucleosis has disappeared.

Pediatricians explain that, especially in young children, it is common for them to pass this infection without noticing it, that is, without symptoms.

How is kissing disease treated?

The truth is that there is no effective and specific treatment against the cause of the infection and, in fact, taking antibiotics does not usually have beneficial effects in this case. Therefore, pediatricians explain that what has to be done is to alleviate the symptoms as in other viruses, because they are "exceptional" complications of this disease.

Of course, in the "rare cases" where inflammation of the throat makes breathing difficult and in other rare forms of presentation, it may be convenient to use powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids, but it is the exception and not the rule and, therefore, it must be a doctor who sends it.

The main problem that arises with this disease is that it looks like other throat infections that do need antibiotic treatment, so pediatricians recommend going to the doctor in case the child has a fever and sore throat, pus will assess the situation and will establish the appropriate measures.

Prevention of kissing disease

Just as there is no specific treatment against mononucleosisThere are also no formulas to effectively prevent it, since there are no vaccines against the virus that causes it (the Epstein Barr) and "there is no point in isolating patients to prevent them from transmitting the infection," they add from the AEP.

In this regard, they indicate that when the illness is overcome the child or adolescent must continue going to school or institute with total normality and without taking any specific preventive measure.

Angela R. Bonachera