What complications can occur with mono?
Mono hepatitis (inflammation of the liver and jaundice) occasionally develops. Persons with mono hepatitis are often sicker and may require hospitalization, especially if nausea, vomiting, and dehydration occur. Women who are taking oral contraceptives may be taken off the birth control pills until the mono hepatitis resolves. Rupture of the spleen is a rare but serious complication of mono. Indications of a ruptured spleen include pain that starts in the left upper abdomen, radiates to the top of the left shoulder, is worse with inhaling, and then spreads across the whole abdomen. Immediate medical attention is required. Half of the ruptured spleens that occur in mono patients are the result of direct blows to the spleen or physical exertion. Strep infections (Group A streptococcal) of the throat and tonsils occur in about eight percent of mono patients. Antibiotics can treat the strep infection, but they are not effective against EBV.
