I have an 8 yr old who has had recurring strep, I think its mono but havent formally had the test administered

Question

My son has had 4 positive strep cultures in the past nine mths, recurring, nagging rashes around the eyes that won't go away and have been mis-diagnosed as exczema. He has also had flu like symptoms and has been tired & lethargic. I know a mono diagnosis has no prescribed medication, does this sound like mono to anyone, do you have any suggestions?

Answer 1

Have the doctor do a blood test.
you will know for sure with the blood test.

Answer 2

Reoccurring Strept can become a very serious issue if left untreated. Strept throat is caused by a gram negative bacillus bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes that harbors and reproduces in the throat area. If left untreated, it can migrate into the blood stream and eventually destroy the muscles surrounding the heart or the glomerulus in the kidneys which breaks down the proteins in waste products to produce urine. The heart destroying diagnosis is Rheumatic Fever, the same that was found in the 1950's however; is not a common disease in today's world and is often misdiagnosed especially by the younger doctors who have never seen this before. Some side effects include, flu like symptoms initially, pain and/or swelling in joints (hips, shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, wrists, finger, toes) , a high fever that could change rapidly but not neccesarily, rash or hive- like symptoms, dry itchy skin, and legathargy. This is very serious and could lead to permanent heart damage. When the glomerulus of the kidneys is destroyed, patients usually end up on dialysis or could become a candidate for a kidney transplant or the possibility of death. Of course these are extreme cases because most physcians are able to determine the cause of any illness by simple tests. The crazy thing is that if the bacteria is present this can all be avoided by a simple prescription medication of penicillin which breaks down the cell walls of the bacteria streptococcus pyogenes. I would encourage you to ask your child's doctor for a rapid AND bacterial culture for the Strept throat issue. The rapid should provide immediate results in about 10 minutes but the culture test will take about 48 hours for results. Likewise, the virus that causes Mononucleosis is not generally associated with the exczema like symptoms. Best of luck!

Answer 3

Sometimes it is possible to have Mono and Strep at the same time. Mono is a viral infection and it can stress out the immune system and make you susceptible to Strep. A lot of times Mono causes enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue and occasionally a rash. Another complication of Mono is enlarged spleen.
With so many strep infections - which are bacterial in origin - he must be exposed to the bacteria somehow. Sometimes siblings pass this infection back and forth. Or possibly other family members. I would talk to your family doctor. I wonder if treating the whole family for strep would help - assuming he has a current strep infection. It sounds like it is time to have a serious talk with your doctor - or be referred to an ENT specialist.

Answer 4

If he has had 4 positive strep cultures in that amount of time, it may have gotten into the blood stream. Could be extremely dangerous as it could begin to affect the kidneys. Has the doc suggested taking out the tonsils? If not, I would pursue it. I hope with a positive culture that he has been prescribed antibiotics (strep is bacterial, not viral) Could be mono, follow up with his doc, if you don't feel that the doc is doing all that needs to be done, get a second opinion. Your son needs some blood cultures done asap

Answer 5

If he had positive strep cultures, then he had a streptococcal infection. Mono is caused by a virus know as Epstein-Barr virus.

The symptoms you describe are pretty non-specific, but don't really raise any flags to suggest mono.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

when i was 5 i had strep over and over. eventually I got better though. Make sure you finish all antibiotic treatments. I think the symptoms of mono are a sore throat and being really, really tired.