what it is, causes, symptoms, therapy and healing times

The mononucleosi she presented herself as a troublemaker in the life of Gregorio Paltrinieri. The blue swimmer was in great shape, so much so that he won five medals, three gold (one in the team) and two silver, in open water and lane at the recent European Swimming Championships in Budapest.

Greg was one of the men to beat at Tokyo Olympics, but his participation is now at great risk. So let’s try to understand what mononucleosis is, how it is contracted and how long it takes to heal.

Mononucleosis what it is and how it is contracted –

Mononucleosis is one contagious infectious disease, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It has no defined seasonality and is widespread all over the world. It can strike at any age, but the most infected are young people between the ages of 15 and 20. It is also called the kissing disease because it is transmitted mainly through saliva, but contagion can also occur through blood and through objects touched by the infected.

He has a incubation period not yet very definitive, because for children it is shorter, while for adults it is longer and can even reach two months. A subject remains contagious even for a year, a period of time in which it continues to emit viruses through saliva. Furthermore, the elimination of the virus can persist during the course of life, even if only occasionally.

The sportsmen are among the most exposed to this disease, both because of the exchange of bottles, which is often frequent, although in this period of the pandemic from Covid-19 we are certainly more careful and there are stricter rules, and because due to the overtraining can find themselves stingy a reduced capacity of the immune system. Travel, commuting and commuting are also a risk factor for infections such as mononucleosis.

Mononucleosis symptoms and treatment to cure it –

Infectious mononucleosis, especially in children, can often occur in subclinical form, therefore without important symptoms, instead in adults it can cause symptoms of different types, from the mildest to the most serious ones.

Let’s see what they can be the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis:

• high fever;
• headache;
• fatigue;
• pharyngo-tonsillitis (there is at least 80% of cases) of varying severity up to a simulation of diphtheria in the most severe cases;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• enlargement of the spleen;
• liver enlargement;
• blisters all over the body (only in about 10% of cases);
• neurological syndromes.

In particular, meningitis, encephalitis, pericarditis, myocarditis and orchitis can also occur, but in very severe cases. The fever and oral problems last about ten days, the lymph nodes swell three weeks. From experts there is the hypothesis, not yet confirmed, that mononucleosis may be responsible for the chronic fatigue syndrome.

To have a diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis it is necessary to undergo laboratory tests to investigate the haematological picture which could result in an increase in White blood cells up to 50,000 µL, an alteration of the leukocyte formula with a reduction in neutrophils, an increase in monoliths and lymphocytes.

In the acute phase they can be identified antibodies anti EB VCA type IgG and IgM. There are techniques that allow to identify the DNA of the virus. An increase in transaminases can also occur.

What are the recovery times for a sportsman –

Gregorio Paltrinieri, even if he has no strong symptoms, had to immediately reduce the training load as a precaution and will give up the Sette Colli trophy. The big concern, of course, is for the Tokyo Olympics, which is only a month away from the start. The president of Federnuoto Paolo Barelli he said that Greg “has never given up on anything and with his determination he has taken everything”, which is why he is “confident that he will succeed this time too”, but is also well aware that “he awaits one of the most difficult career challenges“. Healing from mononucleosis so quickly takes almost a miracle, especially for a high-level athlete.

The competitive athletes, in fact, they need a greater recovery than not practically due to the different training sessions and habits. An early return must absolutely be avoided by neglecting fundamental aspects such as night rest and nutrition. Among other things, some symptoms of infectious mononucleosis can persist even after the end of the infection and are a risk for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). In addition, the athletes, especially in view of such important events as the Olympics, are a risk also for over training syndrome, which has many clinical manifestations similar to mononucleosis. For a competitive athlete, therefore, more precautions are needed, and particular attention must be paid to the spleen, which becomes thicker and more “brittle”. In Paltrinieri’s case, the impact of water when he dives for lane races or, even worse, the risk of water collisions during open water races, they can pose a danger.

It usually takes at least 2-3 weeks to return to sports after mononucleosis, but there are those who have to wait even 2-3 months, especially those who practice contact sports, due to the risks for the spleen. The return must be gradual, start with light activities and then gradually increase the intensity of the workouts, but it can take a long time to reach top form.