Infectious mononucleosis with neurologic complications; report of a fatal case.

TLDR: There are several forms of serious complications in this disease (hepatitis, thrombocytopenia, myocarditis, spontaneous rupture of the spleen and involvement of the central and peripheral nervous system), with instances of fatal outcome from the latter three.

Abstract: INFECTIOUS mononucleosis, until recently, has been regarded as a mild disease with few complications and with a uniformly favorable outcome. Glanzmann,1in 1930, stated in his monograph that the prognosis in infectious mononucleosis, as in German measles, is absolutely favorable. In the opinion of Contratto2(1944) infectious mononucleosis is attended with no more complications than an ordinary infection of the respiratory tract. However, there are several forms of serious complications in this disease (hepatitis, thrombocytopenia, myocarditis, spontaneous rupture of the spleen and involvement of the central and peripheral nervous system), with instances of fatal outcome from the latter three. Multiple serious complications may occur in the same patient. Electrocardiographic changes have been reported by several authors,3with death in Jersild's3acase, Microscopic evidence of focal myocarditis and of involvement of the central nervous system was found in a recently discharged convalescent patient who had died in an airplane crash on