Does Shingles Affect the Ear?

Shingles, medically named herpes zoster, is a disease of the skin that commonly manifests itself as chicken pox in children and teenagers. While the disease affects the entire body, a derivative of the disease, herpes zoster oticus, affects the ear.

Early Symptoms

The early symptoms of herpes zoster are headaches, fevers, chills and a spreading rash.

Evolving Symptoms

Symptoms of herpes zoster oticus include hearing loss and dizziness. Pressure on the nerves around the ear causes the hearing loss as the disease spreads to the facial nerves.

Diagnosis

Once the rash appears, herpes zoster can be identified by most medical professionals on sight. If the rash is not present, tests have to be run, because herpes zoster shares symptoms with multiple other diseases.

Identification

Herpes zoster and all of its derivatives are caused by the varicella zoster virus. The VZV is a double-stranded DNA virus, which is a mutation of the herpes virus.

Fact

Although the body's immune system will eventually combat and control the diseases, the VZV virus will stay dormant in the body until death.

Treatment

Treatment of shingles is done through anti-viral drugs that prevent the continued spread of the disease. If untreated, the shingles can cause permanent hearing damage, blindness or welting of the skin.