Association of clinical and serological parameters of systemic lupus erythematosus patients with Epstein‐Barr virus antibody profile

Epstein‐Barr viral infection is one of the known environmental factors involved in development of Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE). Though not much is known about the exact role of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) in SLE pathogenesis, the theory of switching of lytic and lysogenic cycles of EBV in memory B cells fits well with the periods of waning disease activity and intermittent flares in SLE patients. In this study, we investigate the association of EBV antibody profile with clinical and serological parameters in SLE. Eighty‐seven clinically diagnosed SLE patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria and fifty healthy individuals were enrolled in this case control study. Anti‐VCA IgM, anti‐VCA IgG, and anti‐EBNA IgG were detected by ELISA technique. Antibodies concentrations between two groups were compared using Mann‐Whitney whereas the difference in categorical data was compared using Chi‐square considering statistical significance at P