How Do You Know When EBV Is Active?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2020
- How Do You Know When EBV Is Active? There are several tests you can to do to answer this question. These test look at different Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies your body makes when exposed to EBV. Understanding and interpreting the test results can be a little tricky so I will go into some detail on this topic.
We will look at how testing can differentiate EBV that is a current active infection, a reactivated or latent infection or dormant past infection. There are different antibodies tests and levels of positivity for each of the tests.
Reference article: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Epstein-Barr is known also as EBV and is a virus in the human herpes virus family. It is responsible for Mono or Mononucleosis. Mononucleosis occurs when there's an initial acute infection with EBV or the Epstein-Barr virus. You will know you have active Epstein-Barr, if you've been diagnosed with Mono recently. Once a person recovers from this virus it always going to live in your body. This is true of al herpes viruses. These people can go on to get a resurgence of symptoms months or even years later. This is called latent or reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus. When you have a latent or reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus sometimes it is also referred to as active Epstein-Barr Virus. Really it should be referred to as reactivated.
IN addition, some people initially contract Epstein-Barr Virus and they never really get sick with classic Mono symptoms. Some don't have any symptoms. In these cases they were just exposed and their immune system like fought it off. However, even if you were exposed without full-blown Mono or other symptoms, you can still get latent, reactivation, or active Epstein-Barr later on. Like Mono the symptoms associated with active or reactivation of Epstein-Barr Virus are fatigue most common. Since fatigue can have many different causes, it's important to test and see how likely your fatigue is coming from the EBV. So the testing can be a little tricky. With testing though we can distinguish between initial active Epstein-Barr virus that would be commonly associated with Mono, reactivation, or dormant Epstein-Barr. The challenging part of testing is distinguishing a reactivation versus a dormant infection.
so how do You know when EBV is active requires a deeper understanding of antibodies and how your immune system makes these antibodies a virus like EBV. So let's look at some of that. The initial infection is straightforward to detect and look at. However we need a little bit more understanding of how your immune system makes antibodies. When your immune system sees the Epstein-Barr Virus proteins, it is able to recognize that those proteins are foreign and different than self. It starts to make antibodies against them. These initial antibodies are going to be in the IgM category. For EBV these IgM antibodies will fade fairly quickly after the initial infection. As they fade they are replaced by a different type of antibody called IgG antibody.
So you will know if epsilon bar virus is active when you check your blood and you see these antibodies. If you have any of the IgM antibodies then you have an active infection. Some people have IgM antibodies for longer than we would typically expect. Most people will not have the IgM antibodies after about four months or so. However, it can happen. - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
It is so sad and frustrating that doctors on my insurance plan do not test for reactivated EBV. I needed to go out of network to a specialist to finally figure out what was causing this extreme fatigue and pain. I think that’s criminal - or it should be.
you feel like death , sneezing, sore throat , runny eyes , nose , sneezing , fatigue , neck pain , sleeping ....all the time . bumps /rash on upper back and back of arms ... for EIGHT MONTHS .my Dr. Told me I needed to see a physchiatrist and gave me a paper with neck exercise s on it. I went and paid for my own EBV test ordered by my nurse practitioner and am on a months supply of Doxy 200 mg a day and feeling SO much better . my numbers were 600plus twice
Glad you got help.
Im so frustated at this point in my journey. I saw an ID specialist last July, 2022. I tested positive for EBV but my early antigen is negative. IGM is high, IGG is high the only test that was negative was early antigen. He said there is nothing we can do for you, get rest and it should go away after a couple weeks to a couple months. I have had my PCP test me every 3 months since then and all my labs continue to rise. I still have EBV, I was just tested September 11th and it was higher than July of 2022! He said there is no cure and to forget I even have EBV because there is nothing he can do for me. I have swollen lymphadenopathy throughout my body. All reactive. I'm exhausted and in so much pain. Thank you for this video. It explains that I'm in CAEBV mode.
Try taking a good source of lysine.
Even if the acute marker was positive there’s not much doctors can do… vitamin c, zinc, rest/lower stress. It sucks.
For the PCR test, the sample source MATTERS, whether whole blood or plasma/serum. When whole blood is processed into plasma/serum, cells infected with EBV are removed from the sample, so the results could be negative even though the subject has an active and possibly chronic EBV infection. When EBV DNA is found in plasma/serum - "cell-free DNA/virus" - that's typically an indicator of more serious illnesses; cell destruction, cancer. Two simultaneous PCR tests, one using whole blood and the other using plasma/serum may indicate the nature and degree of EBV-related diseases. Some labs process all samples into plasma/serum before testing, some test whatever they were sent, and some (Labcorp for example) offer sample-specific tests. (Labcorp offers whole blood, serum, and tissue.) And, some labs don't even report which they tested. If my opinion (based upon 21 years of suffering CAEBV) matters, simultaneously test BOTH whole blood and plasma/serum. Some medical articles explain the correlation between viral load and (whole blood/serum) ratio and EBV-related illnesses. In my case, every PCR that used whole blood was positive, in the 1000 to 9999 range, and every PCR that used plasma/serum was negative. Though this is a good thing, it doesn't reflect very nasty illness, it leaves me with doctors in chronic EBV denial and their refusal to diagnose and treat. (Despite EBNA never being positive, and VCA-IgG always being greater than 750, and EA-D often being positive, plus all the chronic myalgia, malaise, and other abnormal labs.)
Really interesting 👍. Thanks for sharing!
My VCA IgG was 744 three years ago, dropped to around 600 and held steady until they ran it again Friday and it jumped back up to 746 U/mL my dr ordered an ultrasound of my spleen and was asking more questions about the pains I’ve been having in my joints which concerns me a bit. The other two (VCA IgM & EBNA-1 IgG are negative, they’ve never shown positive.) I don’t see my doctor again until after I do the ultrasound so I’m stressing about it. Any idea what this could possibly mean?
My numbers are similar. My VCA IgG is flagged as high but all others are negative. Did you find anything out? I am being retested.
Thank you for doing this very informative video. So if you get the EBV IGM, THE EARLY ANTIGEN ab, igG, and ab VCA, IgG, and nuclear antigen Ab, IgG and they are all flagged as High on the test what does this mean? I'm looking at the Ab,VCA IgG and it says 409. and the nuclear antigen Ab, IgG says 512. I think it is a reactivation?
Hi Linda, The IGM and Early antigen IgG are the most important ones.
what is the number range of the nuclear antigen mean.. how high and low.. what I mean is what number range is considered negative?
It has been 5 months since I was diagnosed with mono. I had fully recovered physically (aside from fatigue), but after some recent blood tests, my VCA IgM was high and VCA IgG was high, but EBNA-1 IgG was still low. I'm very confused on what this means. Would it be a reactivation? Or could it mean I have chronic EBV? It has been scaring me since I saw it
Sounds like could be chronic but had to tell without more details and a full picture
I’ve had chronic active ebv for 8 years. Do you have any suggestions for how I can fight this off? I got high readings in IGM, IGG & EBNA.. and am so tired I cannot work anymore. Please advise. 😿
I'm no doctor but have had CAEBV symptoms since July. After tons of research (lots of podcasts with EBV researchers. medical articles, doctor visits, tests, etc) I've settled on this knowledge. Many docs explain that chronic active epstein barr fatigue (CAEBV) is an indication that you are just not healthy and you've got to get your overall health on track to fix this problem. The fatigue can be so mysterious but recognizing that your overall health is out of balance makes sense to me. So maybe try this.
1. Prioritize your rest. Make sleeping well your number no.1 priority in life. This topic alone can be very complicated so learn how to sleep better. No phone/screen time an hour before bed. Getting light in your eyes in the morning and before sunset helps with circadian rhythm. No food two hours before bed. Try to read or relax or meditate before before bed. Also, Nap whenever you need to and are able.
2. Then make sure you're eating well. There's a million diets that out there and they can be both confusing and unappealing. But I'd say follow the basic advice. Eat real food. Not to much. Mostly plants. In other words don't eat processed food. No fast or prepackaged food. NO alcohol. NONE. Reduce sweets too. But don't suffer either. A dessert now and then is probably ok.
3. And reduce stress as much as possible! This is super important. EBV can lead to depression and more stress of course so its extra hard. Seek therapy if you need it. But understanding that stress is suppressing your immune system is the first step to fixing yourself. And try to exercise a bit but don't exercise hard. Light walks only. Light strength training using bands and body weight once a week or so is a good idea. Maintaining social ties with friends and family is also important.
All this has helped me. I got better doing that after a few months but resumed hard athletic training and regressed again. So its back to the protocol I outlined above. Be aggressive with healing yourself. Good luck.
I’m new to researching this, I got some tests done recently and my Hsv 1 was SUPER high at like 21.70 on the index, then I started feeling these symptoms. Can HSV trigger EBV ?
They are both a herpes virus and they can re-activate together.
Idea! After a botched vein surgery for venous insufficiency my leg seizes up at night, left side (higher grade vein issue) it started doing that 3 weeks after surgery before I found out it opened and surgery was not successful. It gives me the heads up by being dehydrated eventhough drinking is maintained. With vitamins kept it away for year then went on keto and it came back. I do load up on electrolyte, magnesium and sea salt. Haaaalp! And yes working on correcting insulin resistance. Thank you!
Hi, are you saying you get cramps, they were gone for one year, then they came back after doing a ketogenic diet?
@@swintegrative Yes and cramps are no biggie it's the whole leg seizing, feels like it's being zapped by a current can't move it any way just guzzle ton of water and pound it fiercely. Love the difference keto is making in life, temperament mood but given my blood pressure is low, and at the risk point of diabetes 2 and working on raising RBC and had spasms in gallbladder and kidneys after taking bunch vitamins a month ago and was the 'reason' I went on just watermelon 5 days which some how made my organs feel less burdened that I could start keto. So stopped all vitamins during last 3 weeks that supported vascular system, l- arginine, berberine, natokinese type things had watermelon only 5 days then started keto Even though I was weak for 2 meals only per day (hesitant to take vitamins like cordyceps that could help etc) I stuck to it but at night that dry mouth started and to my surprise the leg thing came back. I'm feeling like it may be related to kidney issue as my sodium has gone up, creatine has gone up, BUN has gone down and hemoglobin, eFGR in a year went from 90 to 86 to 78 and doctor doesn't think it's an issue cuz it's in range. Totally FUCKED.I tried just before bed I can add cucumber juice, would that be okay or would that stop the progress of the intermittent fasting process? I do realize now also the nuts as of this morning ONLY has caused some discomfort in gallbladder and trying not to freak out, as ultra sound imaging showed gallbladder contracted which I insisted on getting after mid trapezius rhomboid issue, which doctor had no clue was related to it, nor does she know WHY my b12 is off the chart. Thanks TO YOU (GOD BLESS YOUR SOUL) I UNDERSTAND I have done gallbladder flush they do work as of 10 years ago was put on for 8 years a steroid for adrenals so ended up with colyhitisus and refused to have them rip out my gallblladder once I did few flushed a lot came out i saved in jars to document so will be going that route. Thank you for your time and please let me know your thoughts.
Feeling bad from 8 months, extreme fatigue and my pulse is fast, before 2 years i had mono. Now i got tested for VCA IgM was negative and EBNA - 1 IGG was positive. Thats mean i dont have reactivation right?
That is how I would interpret it, yes.
@@swintegrative How would you interpret these results ?!
Epstein-Barr Virus AB IgM Negative
Epstein-Barr Virus AB IgG Positive
Epstein-Barr Nuclear AG ABS Positive
Have chronic fatigue mild splenomegaly in CAT scan with some small lymph node enlargement
High Sed Rate for the last year between 55 to 86.
Do you recommend any further lab works ?!
I had a positive antibody test at really high levels showing I previously had Mono in 2021. I haven't felt okay since then having all the symptoms of active Mono. I had a monospot test recently come back negative so they are now shotgunning tests for various things. Can active EBV evade tests?
I think it can based on clinical results but it is hard to know. May have to test during an active flare up.
I recently had an ebv test. I diagnosed with mono in 1999. The recent results are ea-d 10.30, vca igm
numbers alone... past infection
Hello doctor can u plz suggest me i had a vitamin d deficiency 5.10 i had heartburn palpitations gerd during ngt time is tat related to vitamin d plz sir help me
Hi Amal, vitamin D does not typically cause palpitations or heartburn ( I think that was your question).
@@swintegrative is tat cause high blood pressure
Vitamin D can lower blood pressure when going from low to optimal levels. I'm not familiar with high vitamin D levels causing high blood pressure either.
Tqsm sir
So I’m in my 40s and have undifferentiated connective tissue dz and a high rf , high protein in spinal fluid, lots of balls in the air. I had mono like 30 yrs ago. During a shingles outbreak in my 20s this was mentioned. Should I maybe see an immunologist?
My IGM is negative, but I have tested equivocal twice for early antigen. The first time 9.23 and 6 weeks later 10.8. 10.9 is considered positive. EBNA >600 and IGG 350. I also have 4 strains of bartonella and I can't figure out if my symptoms are from EBV or chronic bartonella infection.
You should discuss with the doctor overseeing your care... sounds like not an obvious case of EBV.
@@swintegrative story of my life lol. I can't work right now because of the fatigue and other issues, but when I am able to go back I will get a good functional medicine doctor. My regular doctors don't know what's going on. My bartonella titers are low and only showed up when tested through Stanford, but they said they couldn't do anything.
@@daniellenelson2433 That's tough I wish it were more straightforward. I do have a few videos coming out on hidden causes of fatigue.
@@swintegrative awesome! I will watch for sure. Thanks!
I tested positive for ebv ten years ago. I had severe fatigue for about 10-12 years. I suddenly began having body pains and inflammation all throughout my body in 2020. my doctor ran a ebv test and it came back negative 🤷🏽♂️
How r u now?
Now you completely cure this problem please tell me because we have this problem please tell me
@@robertsoares-lee2508 much better
@@sandeepp1011 go plant based for a while. detox ur system, drink lots of water and get plenty of rest. supplement D3 and Vit C and Magnesium glycinate/ threonate. Neem leaf/ Olive leaf extract capsules or Oregano oil. all good with clearing viruses. also implement seamoss in your diet. u can use gel or seamoss capsules with burdock root and bladder wrack
Have you recovered?
I tested for active EBV from April 2021 to October 2022 and now again I’m positive again and have had symptoms both times. I have seen several doctors with no answers why I continue to reactivate. Is it normal to have reactive EBV so much for so long?
No not normal but it does happen. Mostly it is thought to be related to a problem your immune system fighting off the virus.
I’ve had IgM active almost always since 2012. Does that mean it’s always reactivating? I have mental cognitive brain fog and fatigue
If someone have lymphoma so how can we treat for ebv
The EBV can remain livelong in the lymphatic cells and can reactivate infection any time.Its genome persists in form of an intranuclear ? cytoplasmic ? microsome containing its genome.
I once read that a treatment with urea could elimitate those EBV genome spots definitively. Have I had a dream, or did such a treatment that would liberates the patient from that oncogenic virus, not have been accepted by the Academy ?.
Is reactivation the same at CAEBV?
Not always. U can have deactivation that only lasts a short period of time.
Just look at your throat...the grey film with a pattern and feeling like you have razor blades slicing up your throat...
Ant info how to heal...I've had it reactivated for 3 yrs
There are a lot of strategies/ treatments. Like any chronic viral infection, they have to be tailored to individual.
So a pcr test will only tell if detected or not? Is that correct?
Yes, if there is viral genetic material and it can tell you the number of copies as well.
@@swintegrative detected at 1400 quantitive copies and 3.1 quantitive logs... but that still won’t tell me if it’s latent or reactivated. ?Correct? Or can it? I had the 4 ab test ordered. But pcp canceled it for some reason.
Less than 2.6 log copies/mL is normal. The IgM test would confirm it is active as well. You should discuss this with your doctor.
@@swintegrative thank you for answering my question. You have helped me so much. Just one more. 1400 copies? Is that my viral load? Or is that how many copies it took to produce the test results?
this is the number of copies of viral RNA in 1 ml of blood.
Mononucleosis almost killed me as a child with asthma. I’m in pain the rest of my life. 😢
Mine's been reactivated for almost 2 years now I feel absolutely terrible heart palpitations, enlarged spleen, shortness of breath extreme exhaustion
Oh no! Sorry to hear that
IgM negative always, IgG 123... Past infection?
Probably but not always that simple