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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis
Published on: September 7, 2022
Return to work following sickness absence due to infectious mononucleosis
P C Koopmans1, R Bakhtali, A A Katan
1ArboNed Occupational Health Services, Statistics, Paterswoldseweg 808, PO Box 141, 9700 AC Groningen, The Netherlands. petra.koopmans@arboned.nl
Background:
Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis among adults is notorious because of the prolonged incapacitating fatigue it causes.
Aims:
To investigate the duration of sickness absence and return to work following infectious mononucleosis.
Methods:
Episodes of sickness absence due to infectious mononucleosis were selected from an occupational health services register. The duration of sickness absence and return to work was assessed with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Results:
Two thousand one hundred and thirty-seven episodes of absence due to infectious mononucleosis had a median duration of 91 days. Young employees (aged 15-24 years) had the highest return to work rates. Women had longer sickness absence than men. Employees working in small companies were absent longer than employees in large companies.
Conclusions:
Occupational physicians should advise gradual return to work, starting 4 weeks after the onset of the illness, in order to prevent physical deconditioning and prolonged illness.
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