EBV : Be Careful!

AhMeng

AhMeng

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23-Year-Old S'porean Swimmer Gets 'Flu', Turns Out To Be A Virus Which Kills Him

mustsharenews.com

23-year-old Benedict Naden was a competitive swimmer and in the prime of his life.

swimmer-flu-1.jpg
Source

Fate was, however, cruel to him.

Last Saturday (31 Aug), Benedict passed away after suffering a series of deadly complications from an Epstein-Barr virus (EPV) infection.

He initially received treatment for the common flu, given the similarities in symptoms.

23-year-old swimmer thought he had the common flu

According to Lianhe Wanbao, Benedict – a student at the Singapore Institute of Management – developed a fever and rashes earlier in June.

swimmer-flu-3-600x400.jpg
Source

He went to a clinic to seek medical treatment and was reportedly given medication for the common flu.

His condition did not improve after consuming the medicine. Instead, one month later, his condition allegedly deteriorated and he was rushed to the A&E department.

Found out it was something deadlier

After further examination at the hospital, Benedict was reportedly found to be infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

EBV infections are extremely common and most adults may have been infected by it at some point in their lives. Symptoms of an EBV infection is similar to that of the common flu.

But Benedict wasn’t as lucky. His body allegedly reacted differently to the virus and was later diagnosed with Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis — a condition similar to leukaemia which requires chemotherapy treatment.

Doctors also found that his liver and kidneys were beginning to fail, according to Lianhe Wanbao.

swimmer-flu-2.jpg
Source

Passed away shortly after internal bleeding in his brain

In a strange series of events, Benedict’s condition reportedly took a turn for the better 3 weeks after he was hospitalised.

Just as he was about to undergo chemotherapy, he was diagnosed with lymphoma.
But Benedict’s condition went on a downward spiral from there. Last Monday (26 Aug), he suffered internal bleeding on the left side of his brain.

He underwent surgery 5 days later on 31 Aug but tragically passed away 1 hour after the procedure, in the intensive care unit.

Extremely rare chances of dying from EBV infection

While the circumstances of Benedict’s passing is tragic, it is made worse by the fact that cases like his are extremely rare. To be precise, 1 in every 1.2 million patients.
As symptoms of an EBV infection is extremely similar to that of the common flu, it is common for doctors to diagnose incorrectly.

A doctor interviewed by Lianhe Wanbao advised members of the public to undergo a physical examination if flu symptoms do not subside after 3 days.

To avoid getting infected by the EBV virus, he urged people to wash their hands after touching objects in the public.

Rest in peace, Benedict

Our condolences go out to the friends and family of the bereaved. We hope he’s in a better place now and is rid of any sufferings.

Let this be a lesson to all to be extra careful when they fall ill, and not take things lightly.

Featured image adapted from Facebook.
 
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV): Symptoms, Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment
www.webmd.com

Epstein-Barr is the virus that causes mononucleosis. You might know this disease better by its nickname, "mono." It's also called the "kissing disease" because of one way you can spread it to someone else.

Even though Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) isn't a household name, you've probably been infected without knowing it. Lots of people carry the virus but don't get sick.

Symptoms

Once you're infected with EBV, symptoms can take 4 to 6 weeks to show up. When they do, they're often mild, especially in young children. Kids' symptoms may be more like those of a cold or flu. Teens often have more obvious symptoms of mono.
If you do get symptoms, most likely you'll have:
Although you should start feeling better in 2 to 4 weeks, the fatiguecan stick around much longer. You may still feel tired a couple of months later.

How It Spreads

The virus is found in saliva, so you can catch mono from kissing someone who’s infected. You can also get it from drinking from the same glass or using an infected person's toothbrush. It's also found in blood and semen, so it's possible to get mono from sex, a blood transfusion, or an organ transplant.

You don't have to be sick to pass the virus to someone else. EBV stays in your body long after you get over mono. The virus can become active again months or years later, making you contagious once more.

Diagnosis

It's hard to tell whether you have mononucleosis just by your symptoms. Fever, fatigue, and sore throat could also be signs of other illnesses, like the flu or a cold.

See your doctor for an exam to learn for sure what's making you sick. He might find signs that you have mono, such as an enlarged spleen, an organ in your belly that filters blood. Your doctor will also check to see if you have a swollen liver and white patches on your tonsils.

You may also need to get some blood tests. One test looks for antibodies, substances your immune system makes in response to the EBV virus.

Another test looks for a type of white blood cell your body uses to fight off the EBV infection.

Continued
Treatment

Like other viruses, Epstein-Barr can't be treated with antibiotics. Mono should clear up on its own without treatment in a few weeks.

What You Can Do at Home

Although no medicine can cure an EBV infection, you can take these steps at home to ease your symptoms:
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Drink a lot of water and other liquids to stay hydrated.
  • Suck on lozenges or ice pops, or gargle with warm salt water, to make your sore throat feel better.
  • Take painkillers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring down fever and relieve body aches. (Don't give aspirin to children under 19 years of age because of the risk of a rare but serious condition called Reye’s syndrome.)
Ease back into work or school, taking things slowly until you feel better. For a month or so, avoid sports, heavy lifting, or other vigorous activities in which you could injure your spleen.

Prevention

No vaccine can protect you against the EBV virus. The best way to avoid catching it is to stay away from anyone who has mono.

Don't share any items, including glasses, silverware, and toothbrushes, with someone who is infected. Also avoid kissing or having sex with an infected person.

When to See Your Doctor

There are some rare complications of mono, so see your doctor if you or your child has any of these symptoms:
  • Sudden, sharp pain on the left side of the belly, which could mean a problem with your spleen
  • Very little urine, a sign of dehydration
  • Trouble breathing or swallowing -- call 911 immediately
Also call if your symptoms don't go away after 4 to 6 weeks. You could have another type of infection besides mononucleosis.

Other Diseases Caused by EBV

EBV is best known for causing mononucleosis, but less often it can lead to other diseases, including:
Studies also show a link between EBV and multiple sclerosis (MS), but more research is needed to determine if the virus can lead to MS.
WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian on July 08, 2019

Sources
SOURCES:
CDC: "About Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)."
Nemours Foundation: "Mononucleosis."
Nationwide Children's Hospital: "Mononucleosis (Infectious)."
Cleveland Clinic: "Mononucleosis."
American Academy of Pediatrics: "Infectious Mononucleosis."
© 2019 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
 
"Kissing Disease" Increases Cancer Risk
www.webmd.com

Oct. 1, 2003 -- New research confirms a long-suspected link between infectious mononucleosis -- also known as the "kissingdisease" -- and a cancer commonly found in young adults.

Researchers are implicating the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the cause of mononucleosis, in roughly one-third of Hodgkin's disease cases.

Using a comprehensive nationwide medical database, investigators in Denmark compared 17,000 people with mononucleosis caused by Epstein-Barr virus to more than 24,000 people who were suspected of having mono, but did not have evidence of EBV.

The risk of Hodgkin's disease was higher in people with a positive antibody blood test that confirmed mononucleosis caused by EBV. No increased risk in Hodgkin's disease was found in those people suspected of having mono but testing negative for EBV.

An association between EBV and Hodgkin's disease has long been suspected. Studies have shown that there is a higher rate of the cancer in people with a history of mononucleosis. Studies also show that the virus is present in about 50% of these tumors.

In the current study, researchers found that mono caused by EBV quadrupled the risk of Hodgkin's disease. Mono-like illnesses caused by other viruses, such as cytomegalovirus, were not associated with Hodgkin's.

In addition, mono was directly linked to lymphomas that contained EBV and not to lymphomas with no evidence of the virus.

The findings are reported in the Oct. 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

From Mono to Lymphoma

The researchers estimated the average time between mononucleosis developing into Hodgkin's disease to be four years, with risks peaking two years after infection.

"But it is important to stress that while mononucleosis does increase the risk of getting Hodgkin's lymphoma, the risk is still very small -- on the order of one case of the cancer per 1,000 patients," study co-author Mads Melbye, MD, tells WebMD. "And it appears from this research that not all cases of Hodgkin's disease are related to this virus, as some people have suggested."

Continued
The Kissing Disease

Infectious mononucleosis, colloquially known as the "kissing disease," is caused by Epstein-Barr virus infection. Almost everyone becomes infected with the virus at some point in his or her lives, and those infected during childhood rarely become ill. But between one-third and half of people infected during adolescence and young adulthood develop the illness, mononucleosis.

Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the lymph nodes, which are part of the immune system and help fight infection and cancer. Hodgkin's disease is one of the most common malignancies among teensand young adults.

Researchers have suspected that infection with Epstein-Barr virus sets the stage for Hodgkin's disease by weakening the immune cells that help fight off cancer.

A Direct Link?

We have shown a direct link between infection with EBV and tumors that contain EBV, Melbye says.

But in an editorial accompanying the Danish study, Johns Hopkins oncologist Richard F. Ambinder, MD, PhD, questions whether EBV infection still may play a role in lymphomas not found to contain the virus.

As evidence of this, he makes note of Hodgkin's disease that runs in families. He says that both lymphomas with and without EBV have been found to run in families. "Hence, it is not appropriate to presume that EBV-positive and EBV-negative lymphomas are distinct entities."

Sources
SOURCES: Hjalgrim, H. The New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 2, 2003; vol 349: pp 1324-1332. Ambinder, R. The New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 2, 2003; vol 349: pp 1309-1310. Mads Melbye, MD, professor, head of the Department of Epidemiology Research, Danish Epidemiology Science Center, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark. Richard Ambinder, MD, PhD, director, hematological malignancies division, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.
© 2003 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
 
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