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Small Fiber Neuropathy and Epstein-Barr Virus
I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy in 2020 through skin biopsy after 8 years of a whirlwind of symptoms. I won’t bore you with that list or the tests I have done to determine, for now unsuccessfully, what is causing my small fiber neuropathy (I will be happy to, if someone wants to compare symptoms and tests performed, although I am well aware, everyone’s experience is different). I had mono when I was 19 and I also have herpes viruses that are active although I haven’t been tested. I am having a hard time getting both my neurologist and my PCP to listen to me and investigate further. Does anyone else have small fiber neuropathy because of mono or other herpes viruses? If so, how did you go about getting diagnosed? I am not saying this is the cause but I would like to determine if it is or if it is not. Thank you.
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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.
If you read up EBV causes sjogrens and lupus. I have both.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7817975/#:~:text=Chronic%20or%20recurrent%20EBV%20infection,multiple%20sclerosis%20and%20other%20diseases.
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
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!
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1 ReactionI 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.