Arthritis research & therapy
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Arthritis Res. Ther. · Jan 2014
Review Meta AnalysisSystematic review and meta-analysis of the sero-epidemiological association between Epstein-Barr virus and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We sought to determine whether prior infection with the virus occurs more frequently in patients with SLE compared to matched controls. ⋯ Overall, our findings support the hypothesis that infection with EBV predisposes to the development of SLE. However, publication bias cannot be excluded and the methodological conduct of studies could be improved, with regard to recruitment, matching and reporting of blinded laboratory analyses.