Epstein Barr Nuclear AG AB IGG result of over 600

Hi may I ask what are the results of your EBV panel (like VCA IgM/IgG, early antigen and nuclear antigen) ?

My EBV VCA IgM/IgG were negative but EBNA was over 600.
My dr said no active infection but i think she s wrong? Was EBNA the only one that was high? What about the other antibodies like VCA IgG/IgM, early antigen?

I have had recurring sore throat, with nasopharyngitis --just stays for 2 horrid weeks then may have a 2 month pause and it starts over again. In the past 13 years have had biopsies of total palate , tongue. Very painful and took a long time for the palate membrane to grow back. All tests were negative --ie only normal flora present, no evidence of disease. Finally, two weeks ago a writer from Australia posted in a blog that she had the same and was told was caused by the Epstein -Barr virus that causes Infectious mononucleosis. So I went to my MD who ordered the blood test and I have an appt next week for the results. Will keep you posted if I learn something new. Keep well.

Long time ago, I will have to test again

Hello! My bloodwork ever since it was first tested for all the EBV related tests has shown >600 so you’re not alone! However, it isn’t common it seems because I’ve seen at least 30 different doctors since my health began to decline and they all are astounded and say how insane it is that it’s even possible to still have that high come back on a test considering I contracted mono back in 2014. (It completely ruined my life. I was just starting my freshman year of college and my case got so severe and infectious disease doctor in Houston’s med center told me if I wanted a chance at getting a normal life back potentially ever, he suggested at least one year of bed rest!! He said I could only get up to go to the bathroom and things like that and then I MAY have gotten my life before mono back. Well needless to say I didn’t spend a year in bed and I ignored my body and didn’t even take any time off to recover. The doctors think my levels are still as high as they are because I was pushing myself to the EXTREME like I never had before between my classes, a job, etc and the virus overwhelmed my body unlike he had seen before.

I hope that makes sense! I found this page today and I’m happy to get to talk to people who actually understand!! I’m in counseling just to learn ways to accept how much this virus has hurt me and my past, present, and future. It just feels so incredibly unfair to me and I can’t believe I’m struggling just as badly an entire 10 years later but now I’m married and can barely stay awake when I get home from work around 4 to say goodnight to my husband when he gets home at 6/7. I feel useless and he is getting resentful that he is left with the bulk of the housework because I’m too tired. It’s so hard!

Hi, I’m 60 yo and had Mono when I was 19yo. My life was never the same after that with fatigue and swollen glands under my arms. My doctors never knew what was wrong and said I was fine.

I caught Lyme disease 3 years ago which really set me back. I was treated for a month with Doxycycline and thought it resolved, but I never fully recovered and had to stop working last August. I can barely function now. I have been steadily loosing weight, lost my appetite, am nauseous and extremely depressed. I don’t sleep well and wake up with night sweats. I was 160lbs and now I’m under 120lbs and still loosing weight. I have to force myself to eat so I don’t die. This is seriously hell.

My PCP thinks this is all in my head and I need an antidepressant. She ran another Lyme test which came back negative. I saw an infectious disease specialist last year who basically laughed at me and said I should see a psychiatrist. I was so tired and in so much pain and couldn’t believe no one would help me and how dismissive these doctors are.

I went a paid to see a Functional Medicine practitioner out of pocket in March because I’m so desperate. She ran some labs and two markers came back positive for Lyme 41 KD (IGG) Band and 23 KD (IGM) Band. Unfortunately I was told that they don’t treat Lyme. I shared this with my PCP who was not concerned. What’s awful is I have had the same Lyme symptoms the past month that I had three years ago. Sore knees, nausea, drenching night sweats, and a headache that is now a migraine. This is on top of my usual lifelong relentless fatigue.

The Functional Medicine practicer also tested me for EBV when I told her I had Mono when I was young. My numbers came back insane:

EBV Early Antigen D AB (IGG) came back at 150 U/ml
EBV Viral Capsid AG VCA AB (IGM) 102 U/ml
EBV Viral Capsid AG VCA (IGG) 750 U/ml
EBV Nuclear AG (EBNA) AB (IGG) 600 U/ml
(I’ve never seen higher numbers on other posts and wonder if some of these just cap off at a certain high point 750 and 600? It is difficult trying to find information on this.)

I shared this with my PCP in March and she wasn’t concerned.

The Functional Medicine practitioner had me start taking 2000mg of Vitamin C a day as well as Lauricidine. I’ve also received a few IV Vitamin C infusions but can’t afford to go every week. I saw my PCP last week and asked her to please rerun the bloodwork and please help me because I’m afraid of how sick I am. The Lyme test she ran came back negative again but EBV test numbers were the same except the EBV Viral Capsid AG VCA AM (IGM) is now HIGHER 135 U/ml.

I’ve been resting since March and hardly do anything. I’m mostly housebound. I honestly feel like my life is over. My husband is also getting resentful of doing more and more around the house even though I still do a lot. I spend most days in bed and need him to bring me food because I feel so sick. If I prepare it, I can’t eat it. Even when he brings me food it’s hard to eat. He also doesn’t really cook much so I’m surviving on mostly protein drinks and protein bars.

I don’t know what more I can do. Any advice is welcomed because I’m finding it difficult to live like this. I don’t get out much, my weight is dropping and I’m loosing muscle. I truly want to die and may give up trying to eat and die. I did start seeing a therapist and he’s been trying to help me manage the pain but this only helps to a degree. He thinks I have an untreated physical aliment but I’m stuck with no good medical care. If I can’t get help I know I won’t be around much longer. I can’t believe this is happening to me. Thanks for listening.

I’m going on a bit here, so please forgive me. I suspect the EBV has been causing my lifetime of fatigue. I was only tested for the first time in March 2023. The Lyme disease was in June 2020. I’ve been told that Lyme may have reactivated the EBV or I may have had it chronically for years.

I want to donate my body to science because this has been a horrific existence since 2020 and a very tired one since I caught Mono at 19.
My heart goes out to all of you who are suffering like this. May you find healing and peace in this world and know you’re not alone. The support has meant a lot to me.

Hi, I am 39. Off the charts on the EBV markers. I had mono around age 13. I'd say most of my adult life I've struggled with extreme fatigue, the inability to heal from even simple things like minor cuts and scrapes. I kept getting written off by general drs as I am deemed "fit and healthy". I raised enough hell about 2 yrs ago after my dr had mentioned to me that routine blood work came back with positive ana still. She finally referred me to a Rheumatologist who I am beyond grateful for everyday. Turns out I am off the charts for both EBV and for Rheumatoid arthritis. This has explained so much for me. We've been going through diff meds which was the hardest part but think we've finally found the one that is for me (Rinvoq). I finally get very minimal flare ups and have learned some helpful natural things to keep flares at a minimum the most important of course is rest. I can't handle any of the antiviral meds they try me on for the EBV but have found being treated properly for the RA has me feeling better than I have in decades. The fatigue is still the only nagging problem but I do have a medication for that I try to take it every other day to keep from getting too used to it. Its been a game changer. I have read tons about both disorders and have read that unchecked EBV can activate and cause auto immune disorders (my RA).

Hello @cupcake6884, Welcome to Connect. Thank you for sharing your experience. It is so helpful for other members searching for answers to their own symptoms. @mrmie may have some thoughts or suggestions relating to your fatigue and EBV.

Can you share some of the natural things you mentioned have helped you keep your EBV flares at a minimum?

My EBV Nuclear EBNA Igg was near 600. I started taking 1g 3x daily of valacyclovir for 9 months until my Nuclear EBNA Igg dropped below 250. I was great for about a year and then the symptoms started creeping back. Since then, I'm taking 1g 1x daily and doing well.