Mononucleosis – “kissing disease”, it affects performance – sports doctor about Anna Shcherbakova’s disease

Mononucleosis significantly reduces performance for up to 9 months, sports doctor Vyacheslav Efremov told .

Earlier, Sport24 reported that the Beijing 2022 Olympic champion figure skater Anna Shcherbakova suspended training at the preparatory training camp of Eteri Tutberidze’s team due to mononucleosis.

This disease is characterized by chronic fatigue syndrome. The athlete seems to be doing everything according to the training plan, he sleeps normally, eats normally, he follows all the instructions given to him, he adheres to the optimal training and rest schedule, but he is still very tired.

We in the Gazprom-Rusvelo team also had a problem with this, the athletes felt inexplicable fatigue, could not understand what the reason was, they just did not reach the end. And with Dr. Kuzmin, we dug deeper and saw such a relationship – athletes who had reduced working capacity lived with their children with children from 2 to 7 years old. It was thought to be some kind of viral infection. We performed an interim examination, did all the clinical studies, performed a complete blood count and molecular genetic sections that allow us to isolate the DNA of the pathogen. And, indeed, it was mononucleosis, – said Efremov.

– How long does it take to recover?

– It can disappear for up to 6 months, there are studies in the literature that this period can last up to 9 months.

It all depends on immunity. This virus damages the lymphoid tissues. That’s the whole catch – a person recovers for a long time. Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment.

The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. It is often called the kissing disease. Most often they fall ill or are children or high school students.

What are the recovery tips?

– Here it is important not to overload the athlete, he must adhere to the daily routine. The only treatment is symptomatic. Sore throat – rinse should be used, fever – antipyretic, anti-inflammatory. With this disease, antibiotic therapy cannot be prescribed, this is the main contraindication,” Efremov told .