Patient education: Mononucleosis (The Basics)

What is mono? — Mononucleosis, or "mono," is a viral infection. It causes fever, sore throat, tiredness, and swelling of the neck glands. Some people call mono "the kissing disease." That's because kissing is 1 of the ways you can catch mono. It usually affects children, teenagers, and young adults.

How did I get mono? — The virus that causes mono lives in saliva. You can catch it from someone who has mono if you:

●Kiss

●Share a fork, spoon, or knife

●Drink from the same glass

Is there a test for mono? — Yes. Your doctor or nurse can give you a blood test to check for mono. But even if you do have mono, the test might not show the infection during the first 2 weeks of symptoms.

How is mono treated? — There is no treatment that cures mono. But medicines like acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol) or ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) can relieve the pain and fever mono causes. If you take these medicines, be sure to follow the directions on the label.

Antibiotics do not work on mono.

What can I do to feel better? — Get plenty of rest. And drink enough fluids so that your urine is pale yellow instead of dark yellow. Drinking fluids is really important if you are taking ibuprofen. That's because ibuprofen can cause problems with your kidneys.

When can I go back to work or school? — You can go back to school or work when you feel better. But you might need to avoid sports or other physical activities for at least a month. That's because mono can cause 1 of the organs in your body to become bigger than it should be. This organ is called the spleen (figure 1). When it is too big, it can get damaged during physical activity.

If your spleen gets big when you have mono, you will have to avoid physical activity until your doctor or nurse says you can go back to it.

When will I feel better? — You will probably start to feel better in 1 to 2 weeks. But it can be a month or more before you get back to normal. Most people get over mono with no lasting problems.

More on this topic

Patient education: Fever in children (The Basics)
Patient education: Sore throat in adults (The Basics)

Patient education: Infectious mononucleosis (mono) in adults and adolescents (Beyond the Basics)