Epstein-Barr virus in thyroid disease: an integrated immunovirological perspective.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic literature without systematic methodology or primary human data
PubMed 41229422 · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1687214
What was done
This narrative review synthesizes published evidence on the association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and thyroid diseases, including Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroid cancer, and rare subtypes. The authors formulate a mechanistic framework connecting viral latency, immune dysregulation, and neoplastic transformation, and discuss potential EBV-targeted clinical strategies.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, odds ratios, or patient counts. It presents a theoretical framework linking EBV infection to autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid tumorigenesis.
Why it matters
The review provides a unifying framework that bridges viral infection, autoimmunity, and malignancy in thyroid pathology, pointing toward potential viral-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic pathways.
Limits
The paper is a narrative review without systematic search protocols, quality assessments, or meta-analytic data. No primary empirical data, sample sizes, or numerical outcomes are provided in the abstract.
Cited by
- context Epstein-Barr virus is a major precursor to Hashimoto's thyroiditis.