[Serological markers of viral infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]

The authors carried out serologic examination of 202 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 200 healthy persons for detecting of specific markers of infections caused with herpes simplex virus (HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) and human T-cell lymphotropic retroviruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2). It was demonstrated that detecting frequencies of HBsAg and total antibodies to HTLV-1/2, HSV and CMV among RA patients and healthy persons were practical equal--only anti-EBV were detected more often among RA patients than among healthy persons. But in the same time IgM-antibodies to HSV, CMV and EBV were detected more often among RA patients than among healthy persons. Authors concluded that most probable RA etiologically can be connected with chronic reproductive infections caused with HSV and EBV, which at least are able to participate in forming of predisposition to this disease by means of autoimmune reactions promotion.