Chronic glandular fever

Definition – What is chronic glandular fever?

The chronically active Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is, as the name suggests, a chronic form of acute Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, “infectious mononucleosis”. It is defined as the occurrence of symptoms even after 3 months after infection with the Ebstein Barr virus. It is a rare, progressive disease that begins with an acute infection with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever. Both adults and children can be affected. The chronically active form of infectious mononucleosis is very rare.

Causes for a chronification of the Pfeiffer’s glandular fever

There are some complex circumstances concerning the human body that can lead to chronic EBV infection. For example, in Germany, the rate of an infection with mononucleosis is almost the same in the entire population aged 40 years. This means that almost all 40-year-olds in Germany have undergone EBV disease during their lifetime.

Antibodies, on the other hand, are found in the blood of a person throughout his or her life in the sense of immune memory. Immunocompromised people often suffer from more severe symptoms than immunocompromised people. The reason for this is that the Epstein Barr virus attacks certain defence cells that are important for adequate immune defence. Thus, people with an immune deficiency are more likely to not recover sufficiently from the acutely active infection or to develop a chronically active form of mononucleosis. Unfortunately, the exact reasons for chronicity have not yet been found out.

These are the symptoms of chronic glandular fever

The symptoms of the chronically active whistling glandular fever are very similar to those of the acute form, although the chronic form can be somewhat more unspecific. Most chronically ill patients suffer from fever with chills and inflammation in the throat area. Variable in addition is the occurrence of pronounced fatigue, concentration problems, difficulties in remembering everything and a reduced general condition.

In addition, as in the acute form, inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils and an enlargement of the spleen can occur. This can be determined in an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, there may be liver involvement with possible yellowing of the skin, the so-called icterus.

In the foreground of the chronically active form is the restriction of activities due to the pronounced fatigue, which is very stressful for the patient. In addition, diffuse pain can occur all over the body. In the chronic form of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, the symptoms must, by definition, persist for more than 3 months.

Diagnosis of chronic whistling glandular fever

The chronically active form of infectious mononucleosis can be diagnosed either by a blood test or by taking a sample from lymphatic tissue. Thus, the laboratory chemical definition states either that the DNA of the Ebstein Barr virus is detectable in the blood or that EBV-positive lymphocytes are found in the lymphatic tissue of the diseased person. For this purpose, a tissue sample must be taken from the pharyngeal tonsils or lymph nodes, for example.

In cases of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, the blood values can provide some important information. For example, LDH (indicator of cell death) and the transaminases (indicator of liver involvement) are often already heard in acute infections. In addition, certain antibodies can be detected, the IgM antibodies indicate an active disease and the IgG antibodies show that an infection has occurred in the past.

If a blood smear is taken, the examiner can examine the various blood cells in detail. In the case of an illness, one can see increased lymphocytes, which are altered by the fight against the virus and resemble monocytes. This is why it is also called “Infectious Mononucleosis”. Pioneering for the diagnosis of a chronically active form is the examination of the virus DNA in the blood and the duration of the disease of more than 3 months. IgG is elevated and IgM can be elevated or normal.