Clinical and laboratory aspects of infectious mononucleosis in different age groups

Abstract

Infectious mononucleosis is an acute anthroponotic disease that develops as a result of human infection with viruses of the Herpesviridae family: Epstein – Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes viruses of the 6th (HHV-6) and 7th types.The aim of our work was to study the clinical features and laboratory parameters of the course of infectious mononucleosis in patients of three age groups.Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of 156 medical records of patients who were on outpatient treatment by an infectious disease specialist at Clinical Medicine Center MedMix was carried out. Patients were divided into three categories according to the age criterion: the first group from 0 to 5 years consisted of 58 (37.2 %) children, the second group was represented by persons from 5 to 18 years old – 58 (37.2 %), the third group was formed by patients from 18 to 53 years old – 40 (25.6 %) people.Results and its discussion. Among children aged 0 to 5 years, boys (67.2 %) more frequently fell sick, and in the group from 18 to 53 years, females (70 %) were more likely to have the disease. Clinical symptoms such as generalized lymphadenopathy (82.7 %), nasopharyngeal lesions (79.3 %) and changes in the general blood test (86.2 %) were most frequently detected in children aged up to 5 years, while fever (81 %) and oropharyngeal lesions (74.1 %) were most frequently detected in patients aged from 5 to 18 years. Liver damage with the development of acute induced viral hepatitis was recorded in all age groups (24.1, 27.6 and 30 %). EBV infection was most frequently diagnosed among children aged from 5 to 18 years and persons aged from 18 to 53 years (in 62.1 and 70 % of cases, respectively, p < 0.05). Mixed infection with the combination of VEB + CMV + HHV-6 was significantly more frequent in children under 5 years of age (34.5 %; p < 0.05).Conclusions. In childhood, the clinical manifestations of infectious mononucleosis were more pronounced. Such intense course of the disease caused frequent visits to an infectious disease specialist and diagnostics with the establishment of an etiological agent. The dominance of EBV infection in the development of infectious mononucleosis in all groups was established. However, at the age up to 5 years, the most common mixed infections were the following combinations: EBV + CMV, EBV + HHV-6, EBV + CMV + HHV-6 and CMV + HHV-6.