Persistent EBV viremia

What it means

Persistent or recurrent detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the blood that occurs in the context of unusual susceptibility to infection.

Primary EBV infection is often asymptomatic in the immunocompetent host. In immunodeficient patients, however, primary EBV infection or secondary reactivation may result in persistent symptomatic EBV viremia, a clinical condition with a prolonged (over 6 months) and distinct symptomatic phase with fever, lymphadenophathy and several other possible features such as hepatitis and pneumonia. Persistent symptomatic EBV viremia can be associated with lymphoma, lymphoproliferative disease, hemophagocyticlymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and aplastic anemia, but most typically goes into spontaneous remission.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Chronic EBV viremia · Persistent EBV viraemia · Recurrent EBV viremia