Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection
From WikiMD's WELLNESSPEDIA
Alternate names[edit]
CEBV; CAEBV infection; Chronic active Epstein-Barr disease
Definition[edit]
Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a very rare complication of an Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection.
Epidemiology[edit]
- The exact number of people who have chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is unknown.
- About 95% of people will become infected with the Epstein-Barr virus by adulthood.
- Only a small number of these people will develop CAEBV.
Cause[edit]
- Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is a rare complication of having Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
- About 95% of people become infected with the EBV by adulthood and many will have no symptoms.
- CAEBV occurs when an EBV infection doesn't go away and the virus remains "active".
- This allows the symptoms of an EBV infection to persist and get worse over time.
- It is not known why some people develop CAEBV and others do not.
Signs and symptoms[edit]
Signs and symptoms include:
- Fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly)
- Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly)
- Anemia
- Nerve damage
- Liver failure
- Pneumonia
- About 95% of people become infected by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) sometime in their life and most never have any health problems.
- Some people with EBV will develop infectious mononucleosis or other illnesses, and will recover with no other problems.
- Only rarely will an EBV infection develop into CAEBV.
- Over time, CAEBV can lead to failure of the immune system which, if not treated, can lead to potentially life-threatening complications.
Diagnosis[edit]
- Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) is diagnosed based on the symptoms, a clinical exam and high EBV DNA in the blood which persists for at least 3 months.
- A test known as a quantitative PCR test is used to measure the amount of EBV DNA.
Treatment[edit]
Treatment for chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection (CAEBV) includes medication to help manage the symptoms. Hematopoietic stem-cell transplant is currently the only curative treatment for this condition. Specialists involved in the care of someone with CAEBV may include:
- Infectious disease specialist
- Immunologist
- Hematologist
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NIH genetic and rare disease info[edit]
Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection is a rare disease.
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Rare diseases - Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection
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