EBV Infection as a Risk Factor for SLE Development in Adult Sudanese Patients: A Case‒Control Study

Abstract Background To evaluate Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection as a risk factor for the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Sudanese patients. This was a case‒control study. Forty-two SLE patients and forty-one age- and sex-matched controls were included. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. Venous blood samples were drawn, and EBV-viral capsid antigen (EBV-VCA) IgG titre levels were quantified. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were compared between the two groups by either Student’s t test or the Mann‒Whitney U test for continuous data or by χ² analysis for categorical data. P values < 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. Results The SLE patients in the present study had a low mean Hb concentration (11.5 ± 1.7 gm/dL) and a low RBC count (4.1 ± 0.73). Almost all patients (41, 97.6%) and controls (40, 97.6%) were positive for VCA-IgG (P = 0.99). The titre levels of VCA-IgG between the two groups were similar (153.8 ± 58.2 RU/ml for patients, 156.6 ± 64.1 RU/ml for control groups; p = 0.83). The mean EBV-VCA-IgG levels were similar between the positive and negative anti-dsDNA patients, with a p value of 0.98. The mean VCA-IgG titre was also similar between anti-Sm-positive and anti-Sm-negative patients (p = 0.22). Conclusions No association was found between EBV infection and SLE development in adult Sudanese patients. A larger sample size and younger population are recommended to elucidate any associations between EBV and SLE.