Reactivated HHV-6

My son is 16 and was diagnosed with mono February of 2012. He has had neurological difficulties and a steady cognitive decline. His HHV-6 IgG was 1:1280 and his DNAse B antibody was 448. His doctor wants him to start Valcyte. Does anyone have any thoughts on this.I'm not sure how this will effect him while going to school.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your son’s condition. If the DNAse B antibody is so high then post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis and rheumatic fever should be ruled out. Since there is re-activation of HHV-6 with positive antibody titer, antiviral therapy can help reduce the attack on organs including brain, kidney heart etc. Your son may also need treatment for streptococcal infection and you should ask his doctor regarding this. The treatment may help him attend school regularly. However, this also depends on his general condition. Please talk to his pediatrician. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.

[abf643]

Thank you for your advice! I have spoken to his pediatrician but her response was that she did not find his results alarming. I was shocked...especially in light of his ongoing issues. We live in Texas but the doctor that requested the labs is actually in Louisiana (My lyme doctor). I scheduled an appointment with him because I was getting nowhere with anyone else he has seen. I tried to get an appointment with a pediatric infectious disease doctor but they would not see him without a referral from his pediatrician. It would be nice to find a physician locally but finding help seems to be difficult/impossible.