Can you have glandular fever with negative blood test?

Can you have glandular fever with negative blood test?

Patients with glandular fever are diagnosed by their symptoms and the findings of a full blood count (FBC) and a monospot test (which tests for a heterophile antibody). A certain percentage of those who have glandular fever will have a negative mono test; this is especially true with children.

Can glandular fever be detected in blood test?

Diagnosis of glandular fever is primarily based on history of signs and symptoms of the infection, physical examination and is confirmed by blood tests.

What can glandular fever be mistaken for?

Streptococcal and viral pharyngitis should always be considered. Viral pharyngitis is the most likely alternative diagnosis to glandular fever. The most frequent causes are adenovirus and influenza. Patients are likely to present with less severe lymphadenopathy and pharyngitis compared to those with glandular fever.

Does mono always show up on blood test?

A lot of doctors will do blood tests to confirm mono, though. If someone has symptoms of mono, the doctor may order a complete blood count to look at the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that shows specific changes when a person has mono. A doctor may also order a blood test called a monospot.

Does Epstein-Barr show up in blood work?

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a virus that typically causes a mild to moderate illness. Blood tests for Epstein-Barr virus detect antibodies to EBV in the blood and help establish a diagnosis of EBV infection. Epstein-Barr virus causes an infection that is very common.

What blood tests are done for glandular fever?

Glandular fever can be diagnosed with a simple blood test called a mono spot test, which tests for antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus. However, the mono spot test may not detect the infection during the first week of the illness.

What diseases are associated with Epstein-Barr virus?

EBV-associated diseases

• Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)
• EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC)
• Breast cancer.
• HL and NHL.
• Post-transplant lymphoproliferative carcinoma (PTLD)
• Infectious mononucleosis (IM)
• Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV)
• EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH)

Can you have glandular fever without a temperature?

a sore throat – this is usually severe, but in an older adult, or very young child, the infection may be present without a sore throat. swollen glands (lymph nodes) in your neck and possibly in other parts of your body, such as under your armpits. fatigue (extreme tiredness)

What is mono on a CBC blood test?

This test looks for signs in your blood that you have the Epstein-Barr virus. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common virus that’s part of the herpes virus family. It causes infectious mononucleosis, or mono. Mono is passed from person to person through saliva.

What does reactivated EBV feel like?

In most people, the infection resolves. But in some people, chronic and even reactivated EBV can occur, leading to symptoms/conditions that include: Chronic pain in muscles and joints. Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

Can glandular fever cause autoimmune disease?

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the cause of infectious mononucleosis, has been associated with subsequent development of systemic lupus erythematosus and other chronic autoimmune illnesses, but the mechanisms behind this association have been unclear.

What blood test shows glandular fever?

Glandular fever is likely if the monospot test is positive or the FBC has more than 20% atypical or ‘reactive’ lymphocytes, or more than 10% atypical lymphocytes and the lymphocyte count is more than 50% of the total white cell count.

Can a blood test tell if you have glandular fever?

Therefore, it can be difficult to diagnose glandular fever just by a doctor examining you. So, a blood test is commonly done that can detect a particular antibody and confirm if you have glandular fever. If your blood test is negative but your doctor suspects you have glandular fever then you may have your blood test repeated a few weeks later.

How often are glandular fever test results falsely negative?

The results may be falsely negative in 25% cases in the first week, 5-10% cases in second week and 5% cases in the third week of illness. Results may be falsely negative in children less than 12 years of age and in the elderly. The levels of these heterophile antibodies may remain in the body for up to one year.

How are heterophile antibodies used to diagnose glandular fever?

Heterophile antibody tests are used to confirm that glandular fever is due to acute EBV infection and to therefore rule out other causes of raised atypical lymphocyte counts. Heterophile antibodies are a group of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies induced by acute EBV infection that react to red blood cell antigens from other species.

When to use liver function test for glandular fever?

Liver function tests (LFTs. Expert opinion in review articles is that LFTs may provide additional support to the diagnosis of glandular fever by showing a hepatitic picture. If liver dysfunction is present it usually develops early in the illness, and normalizes after 20 days [Johannsen, 2009; Lennon, 2015].