The Association between Epstein Barr virus and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus among Hemodialysis Patients

Shaker, Zahraa B.; AL-Khilkhali, Huda J. B.

doi:10.21608/eajbsc.2023.318717

The Association between Epstein Barr virus and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus among Hemodialysis Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Medical Laborites Technologies, College of Health and Medical Technologies, AL-Furat AL-Awsat Technical University, Kufa,, Iraq.

² Department of Biology , Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq.

10.21608/eajbsc.2023.318717

Abstract

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a prevalent herpesvirus that commonly infects a substantial proportion of the global population. Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus has been hypothesized to be one of the environmental factors that contribute to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus. Our objective was to investigate the correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation and the prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study conducted Specialized Center for Diseases and Kidney Transplant in AL-Sadder Medical City in Al-Najaf Governorate involved obtaining blood samples from 50 hemodialysis patients and 50 healthy control. The data collection period for the study was from January to December 2022. The study collected blood samples from 50 hemodialysis cases. The researchers used RT-qPCR technique to detect EBV infection. Among the 50 patients, 18 (36%) tested positive for EBV using RT-qPCR. The ELISA technique was also used in the study to detect systemic lupus erythematosus by detecting the level of Anti-ds-DNA in all samples. The results showed that 19 (36%) of the samples tested positive for anti-dsDNA. Remarkably, among those who tested positive for EBV, 13 individuals (72.2%) were simultaneously positive for both EBV and SLE. We also examined serum levels of IL-10 and IL-18 in hemodialysis patients with both EBV and SLE. IL-10 and IL-18 concentrations in co-positive samples (EBV+ SLE) in hemodialysis patients showed significant differences, with IL-10 increasing by (379±55.2) and IL-18 increasing by (26.4±8.86), respectively, in comparison to the control group's levels of (207±5.9) for IL-10 and (11.7±0.72) for IL-18. The study's findings lead to the conclusion that patients undergoing hemodialysis exhibit demonstrate a greater incidence of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, the study indicates a significant increase in IL10 and IL18 levels in comparison to the control group.

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