Epstein-Barr is a unique virus with multiple manifestations

It is no secret to many people that humans encounter all sorts of forms of germs and viruses every second of every day. Some of them we live with throughout our lives. In this article, we will talk about a virus that no one in the world is immune to - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also called human herpes virus type 4. It is named after the discoverers Michael Epstein and his graduate student Yvonne Barr. The latest seminal work by scientists makes it necessary to take this virus more seriously than it was taken years ago.

According to the U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases, about half of five-year-old children and 90 to 95 percent of adults in the U.S. have evidence of Epstein-Barr infection. Infants become susceptible to EBV as soon as maternal antibodies disappear from their blood. Such a high prevalence of the virus is related to its epidemiological characteristics. The virus is found in body fluids, with particularly high concentrations in saliva. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets and contact. The highest risk of infection is during kissing. For this reason, the disease caused by EBV has an unofficial name - Kissing Disease - in addition to its scientific name.

In the oral cavity, the virus attacks epithelial cells, which causes inflammation of the pharynx and tonsils - "infectious mononucleosis". The clinical manifestations of the disease do not differ from ordinary sore throat, except for the possibility of enlargement of the spleen. There are also special laboratory findings - the appearance of atypical mononuclear cells in the blood, but they can only be detected by detailed microscopy of the blood smear. Therefore, the diagnosis of angina or acute respiratory viral infection is most often made on the basis of the patient's complaints and the appearance of the pharynx. Mononucleosis itself is life-threatening in isolated cases, when the spleen may rupture. One should be afraid of secondary infection due to decreased immunity and the transition of the disease into a chronic form.

The most severe form of infection with the virus is lymphoma - cancer of the lymph nodes. B-lymphocytes infected with EBV accumulate in the lymph nodes and begin to multiply uncontrollably, which leads to the development of the tumor.

As the virus "provokes" the immune system to self-aggression, it can malfunction: autoimmune diseases occur. There are a number of scientific works indicating the involvement of the virus in the development of multiple sclerosis, in which the immune system destroys components of the nervous tissue, the ability of nerve fibres to conduct impulses is impaired, which leads to disorganisation of the entire nervous system.

But the Epstein-Barr virus most often causes a disease that many people are unaware of - chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): a disease listed in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The syndrome is characterised by prolonged fatigue, general weakness, which does not go away even after a long rest. It is not a subjective condition invented to shirk work, but an independent pathology accompanied by an imbalance between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems of a person. Clinical manifestations range from a minor "malaise" that can be overcome by individual willpower to severe depression that leaves the patient bedridden (10% of cases). Unfortunately, chronic fatigue syndrome is very difficult to diagnose due to the fact that the condition is masked under the guise of functional disorders of the cardiac and nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, bladder.

Based on the above, we can say that the treatment of many diseases associated with Epstein-Barr virus is symptomatic. Etiological therapy aimed at fighting the organism with the pathogen, many patients do not receive due to difficulties in diagnosing the cause of pathology.

Today, due to the emergence of data in the world science on the importance of detection of EBV in patients, OLYMP CDL offers diagnosis of Epstein-Barr Virus by IHL-method on modern Siemens IMMULITE® 2000 equipment. Simultaneous detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to the virus allows to detect the fact of recent introduction of the virus into the body, as well as to determine in what stage - acute or chronic, is the infectious process.

Attention! You can get tested for Epstein-Barr virus and detect this multifaceted infection in any treatment room of the OLYMP СDL branches.

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Epstein-Barrs syndrome chronic fatigue mononucleosis