Can Having Cold Sores Cause Tinnitus?

[JohnAdams]

I like many of the luckiest people in the world, get cold sores from time to time. Apparently the herpes virus lives dormant in the nerves and resurges when your immune system isn't on its P's and Q's. I was wondering if some of the unexplained cases of hearing loss and tinnitus is from the herpes virus somehow migrating to the auditory nerve. I believe that it has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and if it can migrate to the brain then surely it can get in the auditory nerve. Any thoughts?


"The same virus that causes cold sores appears to create lasting damage in the brain - a discovery that could suggest exciting new treatments for dementia."

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20181022-there-is-mounting-evidence-that-herpes-leads-to-alzheimers

 

[Laurie1961]

Yeah. I don't know if my cold sore was herpes - I thought it was a cyst, asked a dentist who said it was "just" a clogged saliva gland. It lasted several years but finally went away. I started detoxing for heavy metal and suspected mold allergy, was doing great tinnitus wise but caught some sort of bad respiratory-sore throat illness, with tinnitus returning full throttle at the onset.

To treat the infection, I ate raw garlic and put a clove in each cheek after noticing the appearance of my throat and cheeks and even back of tongue, and no, I haven't kissed anyone in several years. Where the garlic had rested inside my cheek, a big cold sore erupted that disappeared before I got a chance to look. Tinnitus went way down again for several days after but on and off this has been happening since I have been slowly detoxing...

 

[Kste Adams]

I recently went through a bout of vertigo (also known as vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis). According to what I read, these conditions are often caused by a virus that inflames and damages nerves in the inner ear, and herpes simplex 1 (ie. the cold sore virus) is a common culprit. Labyrinthitis is particularly nasty since it can result in tinnitus and hearing loss in addition to loss of balance and nausea. It's not fun, and that is an understatement...

 

[linearb]

anecdotally i feel like mine is usually worse when i have a cold sore.

i basically stopped getting them after dinner aggressive antiviral use over a period of time about six years ago, though. i used to get them several times a year, i don't think I've had one in a year and a half