Does the Epstein–Barr Virus Play a Role in the Pathogenesis of Graves’ Disease?

Abstract

Graves’ disease (GD) it the most common chronic organ-specific thyroid disorder without a fully recognized etiology. The pathogenesis of the disease accounts for an interaction between genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. The most important environmental factors include viral and bacterial infections. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common latent human viruses. Literature has suggested its role in the development of certain allergic and autoimmune diseases. EBV also exhibits oncogenic properties. The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the presence of EBV DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with newly recognized GD and to find a correlation between EBV infection and the clinical picture of GD. The study included 39 untreated patients with newly diagnosed GD and a control group of 20 healthy volunteers who were gender and age matched. EBV DNA was detected with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) assay. The studies showed a significantly higher incidence of EBV copies in PBMCs among GD patients compared to the control group. Whereas, no significant correlations were found between the incidence of EBV copies and the evaluated clinical parameters. Our results suggest a probable role of EBV in GD development. EBV infection does not affect the clinical picture of Graves’ disease.

Cell and Molecular Biology of Thyroid Disorders 2.0

“…Two articles of this Special Issue report about Graves’ disease (GD) [ 6 , 7 ], also known as Basedow’s disease. GD is an autoimmune disorder resulting in hyperthyroidism with an overproduction of thyroid hormones.…”

“…In this Special Issue, a total of 12 excellent papers consisting of eight original articles [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], and four reviews [ 19 , 27 , 28 , 29 ] were published, as detailed in Table 1 .…”

“…This collection includes nine manuscripts focusing on TC [ 19 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], two research articles on the topic of Graves’ disease [ 6 , 7 ], and one article with focus on central congenital hypothyroidism [ 10 ]. The TC studies published in this issue focused on prognostic, predictive markers or biomarkers [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 27 ], oncogenes [ 22 ] of TC, and anti-cancer drugs [ 19 , 26 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…Another group investigated whether the Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) plays a role in the pathogenesis of GD [ 6 ]. The authors found a significantly higher presence of EBV DNA copies in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients newly diagnosed with GD as compared with controls.…”

“…They concluded a probable role for EBV in the development of GD. EBV DNA had no effect on the severity of hyperthyroidism [ 6 ]. Central congenital hypothyroidism is a rare disorder and is caused by mutations in the β-subunit of thyrotropin ( TSHB ).…”