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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms of mononucleosis may include:
- Fatigue
- General feeling of unwellness (malaise)
- Sore throat, perhaps a strep throat that doesn't get better with antibiotic use
- Fever
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck and armpits
- Swollen tonsils
- Headache
- Skin rash
- Soft, swollen spleen
The virus has an incubation period of approximately four to six weeks, although in young children this period may be shorter. Signs and symptoms such as fever and sore throat usually lessen within a couple of weeks, although fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes and a swollen spleen may last for a few weeks longer.
When to see your doctor
If you've been experiencing the above symptoms, you may have mononucleosis.
If rest and a healthy diet don't ease your symptoms within a week or two or if your symptoms recur, see your doctor.
References
-
Epstein-Barr virus and infectious mononucleosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm. Accessed Aug. 25, 2012.
- Infectious mononucleosis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch189/ch189f.html. Accessed Aug. 26, 2012.
- Long SS, et al. Long: Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-2702-9..00301-9&isbn=978-1-4377-2702-9&uniqId=353862004-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-2702-9..00301-9. Accessed Aug. 26, 2012.
- Pickering LK, et al. Red Book Online. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2012. http://aapredbook.aappublications.org. Accessed Aug. 26, 2012.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=4. Accessed Aug. 26, 2012.
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