Your teenager is lethargic, listless and complaining of aches and pains. Could it be glandular fever? Raisingkids.co.uk's medical expert, Dr Malcolm McKenzie, dispels the myths surrounding the 'Kissing Disease'.

Raisingkids member's problem
My 16 yr-old is listless, complaining of aches and pains. My mother thinks she may have glandular fever - or the 'Kissing Disease' as she calls it. I'm worried because she has her exams coming up, but I'm also wondering what on earth she's done to catch it!

Dr McKenzie's advice
Firstly, let me put you rmind at rest. Although glandular fever is indeed known as the 'Kissing Disease' because it can be transmitted through saliva (in fact, up to 25% of healthy adults have the virus in their saliva), this is by no means the only way the illness can be caught. So, if your daughter has it, it doesn't automatically mean she has been up to anything untoward.

In addition to general malaise, other symptoms of glandular fever include fever, headaches, a sore throat, and a general swelling of the lymph glands. There could also be swellings in different parts of the body, such as the neck, armpits, elbows, groin or behind the knees, and there can be chest-pain, coughing or a difficulty in breathing.. The spleen can also become enlarged, and there is a danger of it rupturing if it is hit, or felt too vigorously.

Even if your daughter isn't suffering from any of these additional symptoms, it advisable to make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible so that your daughter's listlessness can be diagnosed. Your GP may recommend a blood test to see if your daughter is carrying the antibodies that go with glandular fever.

If your daughter is diagnosed with glandular fever, she will be advised to take lots of fluids, avoid strenuous physical activities and get plenty of rest, as there is no specific medication that will treat the virus. Although, occasionally, steroids may also be prescribed if the nervous system has been affected.

Most cases of the virus usually recover within a month if the above advice is followed, although stress can lengthen the recovery period, and some people experience lethargy for several months afterwards. Your first step, however, is to make an appointment for your daughter with her GP.