Arthritis research & therapy
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Arthritis Res. Ther. · Sep 2015
Review Meta AnalysisSystematic review and meta-analysis of the sero-epidemiological association between Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We sought to determine whether prior infection with the virus occurs more frequently in patients with RA compared to controls. ⋯ Overall, these findings do not demonstrate an association between EBV seroprevalence and RA and therefore do not support the hypothesis that prior infection with EBV predisposes to the development of RA. This contrasts with meta-analyses that indicate EBV infection is associated with multiple sclerosis and SLE.