Does mono hurt someone that has MS?

[Ker2424]

I have been dating someone who has MS and three months ago I was diagnosed with mono and we stopped dating due to him being afraid of getting infected. Can I hurt him now if we start seeing eachother again?

[ThomasP71]

Thanks everyone.

[COBOB]

Did I look confused?    Silly me!

[Lulu54]

I'm sure glad to see our expert Quix pop up here - I was working on that answer in your other post while she was posting on this one.  It makes me feel good to see I didn't blow the answer too badly.  LOL

[Quixotic1]

Since this is such an ongoing concern, you can have your partner tested for presence of antibodies to EBV.  If there are antibodies present, there is NO (read that "NO") way to infect him/her with it or make her/him sick.

It would be very rare to find a person with MS who has not had EBV.  It is hard enough to find an adult who hasn't had it.  Some studies have found that 100% of the people with MS that they tested already had antibodies against it.  I doubt that the true number is actually 100%, but I would bet that it is quite close.

So, testing will tell the true story, but while your worry is thoughtful, it is probably not an issue.

Quix, MD

[ThomasP71]

I forgot to post research links:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2010-releases/epstein-barr-virus-and-risk-of-multiple-sclerosis.html

http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20090504/epstein-barr-virus-linked-to-ms

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/42767.php

[ThomasP71]

Hi Bob, Ker2424, and anyone else struggling with this issue,

EBV and mono

Yes, EBV causes mono. But not everyone exposed to EBV gets mono (some estimates only 35-50%, most often in adults. If exposed as child, it often goes unnoticed). Most adults (95%) in the U.S. ages 30-40 have been exposed and therefore, according to the CDC, EBV is considered ubiquitous. Once exposed to EBV (whether they got mono or not)  a person with a normal immune system is then immune to EBV, and so there is no risk of contagiousness. It's kind of like chicken pox in the sense that you (usually) only get in once.  Furthermore, anyone who has been exposed to EBV can intermittently become a carrier anytime throughout their lives, even with no symptoms. In fact, the CDC reports that it's most often transmitted by healthy people who have no symptoms but are still  carriers and thus, "transmission of the virus is almost impossible to prevent."

EBV and MS

Very recent research does seem to indicate that EBV is one of the contributing factors of getting MS. One of several, but it seems to be a necessary one, which is to say, virtually all people with MS have been exposed to EBV (they may or may not have gotten mono). I'm pasting some addresses for such research below.

So IN THEORY, Ker2424 and myself, should pose no risk to our partners, since it's more than likely that we got EBV from out partners with MS. IN THEORY, our partners have already been exposed to EBV and are therefore immune.

HOWEVER, I'm not totally convinced. I'm still afraid that I'm contagious and being intimate with my partner will expose her to EBV. I'm less worried that it will make her sick with mono, which seems unlikely. BUT I am worried that it could  trigger MS symptoms since EBV is one of the triggers for onset.

Unfortunately, my current medical environment is not the best. In fact, I seem more informed than my doctor. Very frustrating.

Can anyone help me? I'm supposed to be reunited with my partner this weekend after two months apart (during which time I had mono).

thank,
tp

[COBOB]

Infectious mononucleosis is caused by exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).  EBV is one of the viruses commonly seen in PwMS and may be a viral trigger for MS disease onset.  There is an extremely good chance that the perosn you were dating has already had EBV.  

It is transmitted through saliva, so kissing, coughing, sneezing, telephones,  use the same dinnerware/cups/glasses,etc. are all considered modes of transfer.

Bob

[ThomasP71]

I see this was a while ago but I am in a very similar situation and would be VERY interested to hear what became of yours.
From my research, it's likely you got your mono from your partner with MS.
Please respond with any info.
Thanks!

[HVAC]

Most people have had mono by the time they are adults, about 98%. I have MS and chronic mono. I got a bad case of it in 2008 and was in bed for several months. Now if I get tired which with MS I do, I get a fever. The fever in turn makes the MS feel worse. It does not really hurt me just makes me feel crummy. Sometimes my glands swell.

When I was sick in 2008 all my glands and my spleen and liver all swelled up and I could not talk or swallow for several months.

I do not know how the mono started in 2008.

Alex

[Lulu54]

hi and welcome here - this is a good place to ask your questions and this is an excellent question.

If you are free of your mono and they infection is gone, you should pose no risk to your friend.  You probablly know mono is easily passed from one person to the next and is sometimes known as the kissing disease.  Sharin drink glasses is another good way of passing this germ.  

Infections are NOT the friend of MS patients - an infection can set off an exacerbation, or at least a pseudoexacerbation  (also called a flare or a relapse).  I would talk to your friend and see if he feels comfortable seeing you again.

good luck, Lulu