Mononucleosis is an infectious disease that mainly occurs among young people. This disease is transmitted by saliva. The disease is therefore transmitted, among other things, through kissing. For this reason, glandular fever is also called ‘Kissing Disease’. The most common symptom of this disease is fatigue. But there are also many other symptoms that can indicate glandular fever.

What is glandular fever?

Glandular fever is an infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. In addition to glandular fever, the Epstein-Barr virus can cause several syndromes. Glandular fever can occur in varying degrees. Some people suffer from it so much that they can no longer function normally in everyday life, while others have virtually no problems with it. Research has shown that as many as 97% of all 30-year-olds have come into contact with the virus. Many people will not even know this about themselves, and therefore have had few symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

The first symptoms of glandular fever are sore throat, fever and swollen glands in the neck. As you can see, these are actually the same symptoms as with a normal throat infection. The big difference is that a normal sore throat goes away after about a week. If this is not the case, it could well be mononucleosis. However, not everyone with this disease has also suffered from a sore throat. This symptom does not always occur.Furthermore, people with glandular fever are often very tired! Ordinary things such as going to school, working or doing the housework suddenly become so tiring that they are almost impossible to do. Because the fatigue is so extreme, it is the most noticeable symptom of glandular fever.Other symptoms that I may experience are headache, nausea, frequent coughing and sudden excessive sweating. The liver can also cause some problems. As a result, someone with glandular fever may temporarily have a yellow skin color.

The diagnosis and treatment

If you suspect that you have glandular fever, this can be confirmed through blood tests. Based on the blood test, it can only be said whether it is glandular fever or not. So nothing can be said about the severity or duration of the disease. This always remains a matter of feeling for yourself. Some people have little trouble with glandular fever. In that case it is not necessary to take any measures. But if you suffer a lot from the disease, it is advisable to take extra rest.There are no medications that can cure glandular fever. Therefore, the only thing you can do is rest. If, in addition to fatigue, you suffer from issues such as headache and nausea, you can take paracetamol. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables, and especially not drinking alcohol, contributes to a faster recovery from the disease.Unfortunately, it is impossible to say exactly how long the disease will last. Just like the severity of the disease, the duration also varies per person. In some people it goes away after a few weeks, while others sometimes suffer from glandular fever for months or years. Once you have had glandular fever, the chance that you will become infected again is very small.