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Treatment for chronic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

Infectious Diseases | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (634)

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@seehawkeye

I have been testing consistently positive for chronic EBV since 2013. I can’t tell that I have it though. I don’t have any mono symptoms. But, I do have health issues and I am concerned that EBV can cause certain cancers and autoimmune conditions. So, it’s important to address it. You need to know why you are testing positive for chronic EBV. For me, it’s low CD8+ T Cells (mine run around 9-10% where normal is around 30%). As a result, I can’t clear the virus. Have you had any CD4/CD8 testing? I would ask for that test. Baylor has a program where they can give you CD8 cells marked for EBV, which could help people like me to overcome it. Its still in the testing phase and I don’t yet know under what circumstances it is appropriate treatment. I’m going to look into this and will let all of you know. I know there is another treatment but it’s very risky and only used in very severe cases. I also mentioned that U of Utah has determined that a common drug called spironolactone inhibits viral replication of EBV. That could be an option. I know of no other solution. There is a lot of bad advice out there regarding how to deal with this, some of which was mentioned in these threads (I.e., something about starving the virus). I would focus on what the researchers are doing.

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Replies to "I have been testing consistently positive for chronic EBV since 2013. I can’t tell that I..."

It’s been a while since I posted but I thought it might be helpful to give you an update. If you recall, I mentioned I had been tested many times over the past few years for Epstein Barr. The blood tests were always antibody tests. My results were off the chart and based on the results, I was categorized as having Chronic Epstein Barr. I sent these results to one of the top Epstein Barr specialists and I received a response telling me, with respect to the Epstein Barr, I should get a viral load test done. Well, the results came back with a normal reading. I still need to review the results with my immunologist, but I take this as very good news on the virus front. The important point here is that if you have high antibody readings (separate from Igm, which mine has always been low), you should ask your doctor for an EBV viral load test. I hope everyone is otherwise doing well.