Infectious Mononucleosis In the Preschool Child

Abstract

<h3>To the Editor:—</h3> Infectious mononucleosis is said to be most prevalent among adolescents and young adults. At the First International Infectious Mononucleosis Symposium, held in conjunction with the American College Health Association Meeting in March 1967, it was stated that this disease is extremely rare in the preschool child.¹It is conceivable that this opinion is widely held because many of the reported studies have come from university student health services, where the population is limited to the adolescent and young adult. Case reports in the pediatric literature show this disease and its various complications do occur at all ages,^2-6and experience on this service indicates that infectious mononucleosis in the preschool child is not uncommon. This summary is presented to reemphasize this fact. During the past five years 25 children under age 14 have been seen who fulfill the three generally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of