Glandular Fever: All You Need to Know About It

There’s no better feeling than being in love. Especially with teenagers and young adults, you literally feel the love floating in the air and in your body. Teenagers are seen everywhere holding hands, cuddling, making out and so on. But there is also a disease that is associated with this attachment – and that is glandular fever.

This is a disease that goes by many names as well. Some people call it Mononucleosis (or simply, Mono), while others can call it the Kissing Disease. The second one is because – you guessed – it’s transmitted through saliva.

Since it’s a viral disease, there’s no actual cure known for treating glandular fever. Still, the symptoms generally resemble those of the flu and take about 1 or 2 months to go away. The treatment is generally used to ease the symptoms, but there is no known way to treat the cause.

Causes and Risk Factors of Mononucleosis

The virus responsible for the apparition of glandular fever is known as the Epstein-Barr virus (or the EBV), which is actually part of the family known as herpes. The EBV is considered one of the most encountered viruses, affecting people worldwide.

As we mentioned, this virus can be transmitted through saliva, but kissing is not the only way to go (although it’s the most enjoyable one). EBV can be transmitted through sneezing, sharing utensils or coughing. Those who get glandular fever will not know it right away. It can take from 4 to 8 weeks after being infected for the symptoms to show. At the same time, you may catch the infection but never develop any symptoms or signs. There have also been cases where children contacted glandular fever only to have it heal by itself, without actually causing any signs or symptoms that were noticeable.

Symptoms and Signs

Sometimes, it may be difficult to differentiate between the flu and glandular fever. The symptoms that generally accompany this disease are the presence of swollen lymph nodes on your body, headache, weakness, sore throat and night sweats. At the same time, you may also experience pain behind or around your eyes, puffy eyes, skin rashes, appetite loss, and chills. Generally, the symptoms will go away on their own in one or two months. While you may be able to return to a normal lifestyle after 2 to 4 weeks, the fatigue that accompanies the fever may extend even up to a few months.

Treating Glandular Fever at Home

Since it’s a virus, there are no actual cures for this disease. However, there are things that can keep the symptoms under control. Antibiotics will not have any effects, and thus, will not be given – they will, however, prescribe pain meds for a sore throat and other associated pains.

There are also several home remedies that can be recommended to ease fever and speed up the recovery. Generally, it all goes down to bed rest and lots of fluids. You may also take OTC painkillers to help with the symptoms.