The utility of liver function tests and abdominal ultrasound in infectious mononucleosis-A systematic review

Introduction: A large proportion of patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) have abnormal liver function tests (LFT) at presentation. There is no guideline regarding the management and follow-up of these patients. Some patients also have abdominal ultrasound (US) due to deranged LFT, the need for this practice is unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence base on LFT assessment in IM, time to resolution of derangement, and the role of abdominal US.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane library was done. Two authors independently screened records for eligibility using pre-defined criteria. We included both adult and paediatric populations. Quality assessment of included studies was done.

Results: A total of 3924 patients were included from 32 studies, of which LFT values were reported on 2779 patients. A combination of typical clinical features, heterophile antibodies and Epstein-Barr virus-specific antibodies were used to ascertain diagnosis. The following proportion of patients had abnormal LFT: aspartate transaminase (57%); alanine transaminase (62%); alkaline phosphatase (65%); bilirubin (16%); gamma-glutamyltransferase (41%). Reported median (interquartile range) time to resolution of LFT was 8 (6-12) weeks (n = 438). Maximum time to resolution was >6 months. Clinical hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were found in 35% and 44% of patients, respectively. Enlarged liver and spleen on US were seen in 16 of 29 and 38 of 38 of patients, respectively. There were no reports of decompensated liver disease.

Conclusion: Current evidence questions the need for routine assessment of LFT in immunocompetent patients presenting with IM; serial LFT assessments following initial abnormalities are not required in immunocompetent patients with subclinical derangement of LFT; routine US abdomen in IM to evaluate for derangement of LFT is not required.