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Separation of Immune Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood Samples from Children with Infectious Mononucleosis
Published on: September 7, 2022
Onset of alopecia areata after Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis
Thomas A Rodriguez1, Madeleine Duvic,
1Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030-4009, USA.
Background:
The pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA) is incompletely known. A positive family history in some points to a genetic predisposition, and discordance of the disease in identical twins suggests environmental triggers exist.
Objective:
We sought to determine whether the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a possible environmental trigger for AA.
Methods:
We queried the National AA Registry for all patients who self-reported sudden onset of AA with concurrent EBV mononucleosis.
Results:
Among the 6256 individuals registered between December 2001 and August 2007, 1586 patients reported an environmental trigger-including 12 individuals who had an EBV infection within 6 months before the onset of AA.
Limitations:
This study relies on self-reported data, and not all medical records confirming EBV infections were available for review.
Conclusion:
The association between EBV and AA is worthy of further investigation.
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