Oropharyngeal Epstein-Barr virus excretion in rheumatoid arthritis.
We hypothesized that the defective cellular regulation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) might be reflected in an increased rate of oropharyngeal virus excretion, but we found that the prevalence of excretion in 45 RA patients (22%) did not differ from 45 age- and sex-matched non-RA patients (24%) who were taking similar medications. Increased excretion rates correlated with corticosteroid therapy and male sex, but not with age or serum levels of EBV antibodies.
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011241:Prednisone