Small Fiber Neuropathy and Epstein-Barr Virus

The EBV causes both mono and the herpes virus. My doctor did not believe it caused the herpes virus. I printed out the paperwork from the journal of medicine and sat there and watched him read it. His response I did not know it caused the herpes virus. I have tested positive over five years.

Thank you for sharing about EBV and small fiber neuropathy.
I strongly suspect that EBV re-activation is something I deal with and that it may be the underlying cause of my idiopathic non-length dependent small fiber neuropathy.
I am uncertain if there is treatment for viral neuropathy but I am glad to hear that others suspect that EBV may cause their SFN.
I have done loads of testing and we never found the cause of my SFN. Now I may get EBV testing done.
Again, thanks for posting on this topic and hang in there everyone!

I take daily antivirals because I have an immune deficiency that allowed me to have non-stop shingles outbreaks for 30 years (herpes Zoster) before starting the antivirals. The virus wreaked havoc on my nervous system. I take 400mg of Acyclovir 2x a day to prevent shingles outbreaks. I cut back to 1x a day for the last two years in an overall attempt to cut back on pharmaceuticals, and my neuropathy symptoms increased exponentially. I just started back on 2x daily, and my symptoms are easing. I hadn't connected the virus and the antivirals with the neuropathy until I consulted with my infectious disease doctor recently, and he agreed increasing my dose could help with the neuropathy symptoms.

I am convinced that the herpes viruses of Epstein-Barr and Varicella-Zoster do cause small fiber neuropathy. I have no positive autoimmune results in any blood tests or spinal fluid, but I was born with a natural killer cell (NK cell) deficiency. NK cells fight all the herpes viruses and cancer tumors. I grew up with non-stop mono and strep infections and developed chronic recurring Varicella-Zoster when I was 26. I came down with sudden onset SFN symptoms in 2011 (when I was 50) and acute polyneuropathy (GBS) in 2015. I live with a pages-long list of small fiber and autonomic neuropathy symptoms that no neurologist has yet to confirm as SFN because my preliminary tests for autoimmune are negative, and my first punch biopsy was also negative. My symptoms are worsening and debilitating. I am seeing yet another new neurologist this month, one that will hopefully listen. So far, when I mention NK cell deficiency, EBV, or Varicella Zoster, even at the Mayo Clinic (2016), they look at me like I am crazy and say there is no evidence. I am compiling evidence. If you would like to share notes about what we have found, I am happy to do so.

Maybe you misstated what you intended. Can you share the link to the journal that states EBV causes the herpes virus? Epstein-Barr is a herpes virus. It does not cause herpes viruses. But it does cause mono and contributes and often leads to neurological disorders.

"Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), or the human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), is one of the eight known human herpesviruses of the gamma herpes virus family and is the primary causative agent of Infectious mononucleosis (IM)."
• microbenotes.com/epstein-barr-virus-ebv/
• my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23469-epstein-barr-virus
• med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/01/epstein-barr-virus-multiple-sclerosis