Many people with mono have an enlarged spleen, so doctors generally recommend that you take a pass on contact sports for a certain period of time to avoid the risk of getting hit in the abdomen and rupturing your spleen. One thing to keep in mind, too, is that you may need to take it easy for a little while. Instead, your doctor may recommend that you do things like drink plenty of fluids, get lots of rest, and take over-the-counter medications to minimize pain and fever, if you have those symptoms. There isn’t one medication that’s designed to treat mono, Dr. Your doctor may also order a monospot test to check your blood for antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus, along with a white blood cell count to see if yours are elevated, the Mayo Clinic says. Your doctor will usually suspect that you have mono based on your symptoms and by looking at things like your swollen lymph nodes, tonsils, liver, or spleen (which they can feel by pressing on your abdomen, Dr. Schaffner says that “some people have waxing and waning symptoms, where they feel better for a bit and then worse-that can be frustrating.” How is mono diagnosed? Most people recover from mono in two to four weeks, but Dr. The swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, along with a bad sore throat, are usually one of the biggest differentiators between mono and other illnesses, Dr. swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits.These are the most common symptoms of mono, per the CDC: “Could this be COVID or mono? It’s sometimes hard to tell,” he says. John Sellick, D.O., an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo/SUNY, agrees. “It all gets pretty fuzzy with these viruses,” he says. And yes, it’s easy to confuse the symptoms of mono with those of a bad cold, the flu, or COVID-19, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious-disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. It can take anywhere from four to six weeks to develop symptoms of mono once you’ve been infected, the CDC says. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “There is no clear seasonality to infectious mononucleosis caused by Epstein Barr virus,” says Amesh A. Mono is most common in teens and college students, with at least one in four teens and young adults who get infected with Epstein-Barr virus developing infectious mononucleosis, per the CDC.įor what it’s worth: Mono isn’t a seasonal illness. If your healthcare provider prescribes antibiotics to treat strep throat, it's important to take them as directed.Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Antibiotics can also help prevent strep throat from developing into other rare but serious conditions, including kidney inflammation. Additionally, it's best to avoid contact sports until after you've recovered from mono to prevent your spleen from rupturing if it's become enlarged.Īntibiotics treat strep throat by killing the bacteria that causes it. Take over-the-counter medications for fever and painĭo not take antibiotics if you have mono. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids If you’ve been diagnosed with mono, there are steps you can take to alleviate your symptoms: There’s no vaccine to prevent mono and no medication to cure it. Unfortunately, rapid strep tests have a higher false negative³ rate, so if a person with symptoms of strep tests negative using a rapid test, it's best to follow up with a throat culture to confirm. While throat culture tests are the most accurate test for diagnosing strep throat, they can take between 24 and 48 hours to produce results, so many providers prefer to use rapid antigen testing, which gives results in about 10 to 20 minutes. To test for strep, your healthcare provider may use a swab to take a throat culture and test it for bacteria. Strep throat can’t be diagnosed based on symptoms and physical examination alone additional testing is necessary. Along with examining your throat, feeling your neck, and listening to your lungs, your healthcare provider will likely perform testing to rule out other conditions, such as strep throat. It's important to note when your symptoms started, how long you’ve had them, and if they’re getting better or worse. Mono is usually diagnosed based on symptoms. Because mono and strep throat share many symptoms, including a sore throat, it's crucial to get a diagnosis so you can get the appropriate treatment (if treatment is necessary).
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