Podcast # 338: Mononucleosis predictors

Author: Chris Holmes, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Symptoms commonly seen with mononucleosis are palatal petechiae, posterior cervical lymphadenopathy, inguinal/axillary lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and/or atypical lymphocytes > 10% on CBC.

• Among these, posterior cervical lymphadenopathy and atypical lymphocytes > 10% were the most sensitive (sensitivities of 0.64 and 0.66 respectively).

References

Welch, JL et al. What Elements Suggest Infectious Mononucleosis? Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2018. 71(4): 521-522. Doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.06.014