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Is It Possible To Contract Mononucleosis At 50 Years Of Age?
Posted on
Tue, 20 Jan 2015
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 20 Jan 2015
Answered on
Tue, 17 Feb 2015
Last reviewed on
Question : I am a 54 year old health woman who just got diagnosed with Mono. My swab test came back negative for strep. My fever has been around 99 but I had been taking Advil before i was diagnosed. I started having symptoms on 2 days ago. I have white spots in my throat, swollen glands, and a sore throat.. At Urgent Care , the PA asked if I wanted a Mono test but she was very sure that's what I had. I wanted the test and it came back negative. The PA did not believe the results saying that the test is not as sensitive as the strep test and that she still believes that's what I have... I'm 5'9" and weigh 175 lbs. My question: Is there more to be concerned about because I cannot find much on 50 year olds getting Mono.. should I have other tests to rule out other things?
Brief Answer:
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I read carefully your query and understand your concerns.
It is true that Mononucleosis infection occur commonly in children and young adults but this doesn't mean it can't happen in other ages.
So it is very possible to have this viral infection at 50 years.
It is also true that blood tests can be false negative during the first week of infection.The mono-test can be also be negative because Mononucleosis can also be caused from Cytomegalovirus apart EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) that causes more than 90 % of it.
The important thing when a patient present with such symptoms is to distinguish between a viral infection and a bacterial one because the treatment is different.A bacterial infection (strep throat) will require antibiotics and a viral one will require no specific treatment.
Since the strep test is negative than a viral infection is the most probable diagnosis.
Symptoms and physical examination are essential in diagnosing mononucleosis because they are very specific .
So for now you need to rest ,eat healthy ,drink plenty of water.
Take Ibuprofen of Paracetamol to ease the discomfort.You can do salt water gargles to relief throat pain.
You should start to feel better in few days-1 week.
Hope it helps.
Let me know if you have any other question or doubts to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further.
Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
detailed below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I read carefully your query and understand your concerns.
It is true that Mononucleosis infection occur commonly in children and young adults but this doesn't mean it can't happen in other ages.
So it is very possible to have this viral infection at 50 years.
It is also true that blood tests can be false negative during the first week of infection.The mono-test can be also be negative because Mononucleosis can also be caused from Cytomegalovirus apart EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) that causes more than 90 % of it.
The important thing when a patient present with such symptoms is to distinguish between a viral infection and a bacterial one because the treatment is different.A bacterial infection (strep throat) will require antibiotics and a viral one will require no specific treatment.
Since the strep test is negative than a viral infection is the most probable diagnosis.
Symptoms and physical examination are essential in diagnosing mononucleosis because they are very specific .
So for now you need to rest ,eat healthy ,drink plenty of water.
Take Ibuprofen of Paracetamol to ease the discomfort.You can do salt water gargles to relief throat pain.
You should start to feel better in few days-1 week.
Hope it helps.
Let me know if you have any other question or doubts to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further.
Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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