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Is chronic reactivated EBV different from chronic active EBV?
Infectious Diseases | Last Active: Mar 26 3:28pm | Replies (216)Comment receiving replies
Hello - I'm a newbie and have a couple of questions. In July of last year, my ALT levels (for liver) were sky high and my doctor assumed it was either alcohol related / fatty liver disease. I wasn't a big drinker, but cut that out and I immediately started eating better (following the Mediterranean diet) but it didn't seem to make any difference. I was sent to a liver doc who did the fibroscan and he thought I needed further testing, so sent me for a biopsy, which came back with better than expected results. HOWEVER - it appears that in August of last year, I was diagnosed with EBV (according to bloodwork), which I didn't know about. Liver doc figures it's related to what's going on with my liver (swollen) and that I need to keep on with the healthy eating, etc. and doesn't need to see me again for 6 months (yay). My question is - I have NO recollection of ever having had mono or anything like that as a kid or as an adult, so I was very surprised when the tests came back positive. I find the research I've done to be very confusing and so I guess I'm wondering if I'm one of those lucky people who will have to be monitored for life for EBV? I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about 10 years ago, and now I'm wondering if it's not that and actually a side effect of EBV? Sorry this is so long - thanks for taking the time to read it 🙂
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@cjts1967 Welcome! So sorry you are dealing with such a debilitating illness. I'd be happy to answer some of your questions, although I am not a doctor. You do not have to have had mono to have EBV in your body. Well over 90% of people have been exposed to the virus by the time they are adults. Most may have just had minor symptoms. Mono (more severe form) is usually seen in teens and young adults. I'm curious as to what was actually "positive." There are different antibodies to EBV. IgM detects current infection/reactivation. IgG detects past infection although if extremely elevated along with an elevated early antigen, it can reflect a current infection. Since most adults have been exposed to the virus, most have elevated IgG antibodies. When I relapse, my IgM is positive along with all the other antibodies being out the roof. I also have a fatty liver found accidentally on a CT scan. EBV can affect the liver. I'm assuming that's why in my case. I'm not a drinker, or overweight, and I have eaten a fairly good diet as an adult. My liver enzymes have always been normal, unlike your case. So it is a good idea to continue to monitor your liver function. As far as fibro being linked to EBV -- that most definitely can be the case! Fibromyalgia is actually a collection of symptoms. It is only a diagnosis in the fact that there is an ICD10 code for it for billing purposes. The root cause can be different in everyone, but most always includes some kind of stress (infection, emotional, physical, surgery, environmental toxins, relationship stress, job stress). That can affect the immune system, sleep patterns, adrenal glands, and the list goes on. Most conventional doctors do not dig deep enough to find the root cause and treat it. For more information about EBV check out Kasia Kines, PhD at ebvhelp.com. For more info on fibro and chronic fatigue syndrome check out Dr. Rodger Murphree at yourfibrodoctor.com. Feel free to click on my profile, scroll to the bottom and read some of my other posts for more info. I'm glad you found this site. I know you want to get better! Please don't give up. You are your own best advocate! Keep us posted.