Kissing and jaundice. What do they have in common?

It is even called kissing disease, because the main route of infection is through contact with the saliva of a sick person. Infectious mononucleosis is an acute viral infection. The Epstein-Barr virus overstimulates lymphocytes, so mononucleosis can be easily determined by blood tests. An infected person can infect others for up to 18 months after the onset of the disease. The hatching period is approximately 40 days. The disease often begins suddenly and resembles the flu, because it is accompanied by a high fever, even up to 40 degrees Celsius, which lasts for about 1-2 weeks, severe sore throat and enlargement of the palatine tonsils, on which raids appear. Adults in their forties and young children are the least likely to suffer from it. Most often – teenagers. This age group seems to be kissing the most.

It’s a disease caused by cytomegalovirus. It mainly attacks the salivary glands. The easiest way to get infected is by kissing. Cytomegaly is caused by a virus, so those who have had the disease develop immunity. Although they do not fall ill again, they can infect others because they become carriers. The virus is a very serious threat to pregnant women, because the first trimester of the future mother’s cytomegalovirus causes miscarriage or defects in the baby, especially in the nervous system. In the following trimesters, cytomegaly can lead to premature birth. Due to the asymptomatic course of the disease or the presence of non-specific symptoms, the diagnosis is confirmed only by blood tests for IgM and IgG antibodies.

Hepatitis B is commonly known as implantable jaundice and hepatitis B. Up to 60 percent of infections occur in hospitals and clinics – during operations, transfusions, blood donations, and catheterization. Unfortunately, we can also contract jaundice after a passionate kiss, during which the lovers bite their lips to the blood. The hepatitis B virus enters our body much faster than HIV. Infection can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure, and can even lead to liver cancer.

This disease can be one of the unpleasant consequences of kissing. It manifests itself with such a severe sore throat that swallowing is practically impossible. The disease is accompanied by high fever and a raid on the tonsils. They may be the site of “dormant” streptococci – bacteria that cause angina. They attack when the body is weakened. Unfortunately, angina, although frequent, can be dangerous – if left untreated, the infection can damage the heart muscle and cause kidney and joint disease, and even encephalitis.

There is a theory that kissing prevents the modern plague, tooth decay. Its supporters argue that intense kissing increases the secretion of saliva, which is, after all, a natural cleaning agent for the oral cavity. However, according to the Journal of the American Dental Association, bacteria responsible for caries can pass through saliva.

Thrush is nothing but a local fungal infection. Although single thrush is not serious, it is necessary to treat it quickly, because if the immune system is weakened, the whole body can become infected. Thrush can be found on the tongue, palate and cheeks. They have a characteristic white color. Sometimes a few of the thrush coalesce over a large area to form a stain.

This virus is known to lead to cervical cancer. Among the dozens of variants of the virus, there are those that also cause cancer of the larynx. The number of young people worldwide, especially men, diagnosed with oral cancer has been growing for about 10 years. Doctors warn that it is related to oral sex. The problem was loud when Michael Douglas admitted he had contracted HPV-induced throat cancer.

As many as 3,7 billion people under 50, or 67 percent. of the entire world population is infected with the HSV-1 herpes virus, which causes facial and genital herpes, warns the World Health Organization (WHO). We can get infected by kissing someone who has herpes. And not when the blisters are already visible on the lips, but much earlier, when there are no visible symptoms of the disease yet. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid contamination, unless we can count on the honesty of a partner to warn us that they start to feel tingling and itchy lips and refuse to kiss us. Even after the visible fever has passed, the virus remains dormant in the body. With a temporary drop in immunity, it can attack again, even after years. For years, doctors and microbiologists believed that completely different viruses were responsible for oral and genital herpes. Unfortunately, it turned out recently that 20 percent. infections from the mouth area also spreads to the genitals during intimate caresses and oral contacts.