Anti epstein–barr virus antibodies in juvenile pauciarticular rheumatoid arthritis, correlation with disease activity and severity

Abstract EN

Objectives: to determine the existence of circulating levels of anti-Epstein- Barr virus (EBV) antibodies both IgM and IgG in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and to see its correlation with the disease activity and severity.

Methodology : the study comprised seventeen patients with pauciarticular JRA and fifteen normal controls.

They were subjected to thorough medical history taking, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, disease activity and severity assessment and detection of EBV IgM and IgG antibodies in the serum and synovial fluid with indirect immunofluorescence technique.

Results : there was a significant difference as regards the frequency of anti EBV IgM antibodies in both serum and synovial fluid in pauciarticular JRA compared with controls.

There was also a significant difference between the titers of IgG and IgM anti EBV in the serum and synovial fluid in our patients compared with controls and these results were positively correlated with the disease activity and severity.

Conclusion : anti-EBV antibodies may play a role in pathogenesis of JRA and there was positive correlation between disease activity and severity and these antibodies.