title: Clinical and laboratory characteristics of infectious mononucleosis by Epstein-Barr virus in Mexican children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infectious mononucleosis (IM) or Mononucleosis syndrome is caused by an acute infection of Epstein-Barr virus. In Latin American countries, there are little information pertaining to the clinical manifestations and complications of this disease. For this reason, the purpose of this work was to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of infection by Epstein-Barr virus in Mexican children with infectious mononucleosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study was carried out by reviewing the clinical files of patients less than 18 years old with clinical and serological diagnosis of IM by Epstein-Barr virus from November, 1970 to July, 2011 in a third level pediatric hospital in Mexico City.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and sixty three cases of IM were found. The most frequent clinical signs were lymphadenopathy (89.5%), fever (79.7%), general body pain (69.3%), pharyngitis (55.2%), hepatomegaly (47.2%). The laboratory findings were lymphocytosis (41.7%), atypic lymphocytes (24.5%), and increased transaminases (30.9%), there were no rupture of the spleen and no deaths among the 163 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results revealed that IM appeared in earlier ages compared with that reported in industrialized countries, where adolescents are the most affected group. Also, the order and frequency of the clinical manifestations were different in our country than in industrialized ones.
authors: Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Pediatrics, Avenida Insurgentes Sur 3700-C, Mexico City 04530 Mexico.
authors: Napoleón
authors: N
authors: González Saldaña
authors: Victor Antonio
authors: VA
authors: Monroy Colín
authors: Georgina
authors: G
authors: Piña Ruiz
authors: Hugo
authors: H
authors: Juárez Olguín
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008800:Mexico