Human herpesvirus type 6 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Infectious agents are considered one of the possible etiological factors of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It has been suggested that human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) may trigger autoimmune disorders, but few studies have been conducted on the relationship between this virus and autoimmune diseases, especially SLE. The present study aimed to compare the frequency of HHV-6 infection between SLE patients and healthy individuals.

Serum samples were collected from 60 healthy people and 60 SLE patients referred to the rheumatology clinic of Shahid-Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran, from January 2020 to January 2021. The following data were collected from the medical records of patients: sex; age; duration of disease; SLE clinical manifestations; and disease activity. After the extraction of viral DNA from samples, a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was performed to detect HHV-6.

HHV-6 was detected in 12 SLE patients (20%) and in 8 healthy individuals (13.3%). A significant correlation was not obtained between SLE and the presence of HHV-6 (P = 0.09). There was no correlation between musculoskeletal involvements, skin lesions, renal manifestations, and hematological manifestations with the presence of HHV-6 (P>0.05). HHV-6 was detected more frequently in patients with active lupus than in patients with quiescent disease, but this difference was not significant (P=0.08).

Although patients with SLE had a higher prevalence of HHV-6 compared with healthy people, there is no strong link between HHV-6 infection and SLE. Future research is necessary because this data does not support the hypothesis that human herpesvirus 6 plays a role in the pathogenesis of SLE.