Low levels of antibodies against common viruses associate with anti-citrullinated protein antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis; implications for disease aetiology.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Infection by common viruses has long been discussed in the aetiology of a number of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, studies investigating this hypothesis in RA show conflicting results. These studies often lack well-matched control populations, and many do not include data on autoantibodies, genetic risk factors and other environmental factors, which are known to contribute to disease only in subgroups of patients. In the present study, we have therefore examined the role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and parvovirus B19 (B19) in RA aetiology, by analysing anti-viral antibodies in relation to anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), smoking, HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles, and clinical parameters, in both

SUBMITTER: Sherina N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5622498 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature