Epstein-Barr Virus and Unexplained Illness
Authors: CARL W. ARMSTRONG
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1985)

Letters and Corrections1 May 1985Epstein-Barr Virus and Unexplained IllnessCARL W. ARMSTRONG, M.D., SCOTT F. WETTERHALL, M.D.CARL W. ARMSTRONG, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, SCOTT F. WETTERHALL, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-102-5-722_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: We have several reservations about the methods and statistical inferences reported in two recent papers on Epstein-Barr virus infection (1, 2). Both papers failed to describe the population groups from which controls were selected.Although Jones and colleagues (1) matched controls for age, other demographic variables, such as socio-economic status, are known to affect the age-adjusted incidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection (3). Even if only seropositive controls had been used, mean antibody titers may have differed between patients and controls if the controls had acquired the infection at an earlier mean age. Figure 1 in the paper...References1. JONES J, RAY C, MINNICH L, HICKS M, KIBLER R, and LUCAS D. Evidence for active Epstein-Barr virus infection in patients with persistent, unexplained illnesses: elevated anti-early antigen antibodies. Ann Intern Med. 1985;102:1-7. LinkGoogle Scholar2. STRAUS S, TOSATO G, and ARMSTRONG G. Persisting illness and fatigue in adults with evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection. Ann Intern Med. 1985;102:7-16. LinkGoogle Scholar3. EVANS A and NEIDERMAN J. Epstein-Barr virus. In: EVANS AS, ed. Viral Infections of Humans: Epidemiology and Control. New York: Plenum Medical Books; 1982:264-5. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. COLTON T. Statistics in Medicine. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ; 1974:131-42. Google Scholar1. STRAUS S, TOSATO G, and ARMSTRONG G. Persisting illness and fatigue in adults with evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection. Ann Intern Med. 1985;102:7-16. LinkGoogle Scholar2. SCHEFFÉ H. The Analysis of Variance. New York: John Wiley & Sons: 1959:345. Google Scholar1. JONES J, RAY C, MINNICH L, HICKS M, KIBLER R, and LUCAS D. Evidence for active Epstein-Barr virus infection in patients with persistent unexplained illnesses: elevated anti-early antigen antibodies. Ann Intern Med. 1985;102:1-7. LinkGoogle Scholar2. STRAUS S, TOSATO G, and ARMSTRONG G. Persisting illness and fatigue in adults with evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection. Ann Intern Med. 1985;102:7-16. LinkGoogle Scholar3. HENLE W and HENLE G. Seroepidemiology of the virus. In: EPSTEIN MA, ACHONG BG, eds. The Epstein-Barr Virus. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1979:63. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. HENLE W and HENLE G. Epstein-Barr virus-related serology in Hodgkins disease. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1973;36:79-83. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: CARL W. ARMSTRONG, M.D.; SCOTT F. WETTERHALL, M.D.Affiliations: Virginia Department of Health Richmond, VA 23219 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Chronic Fatigue SyndromeEpstein-Barr Virus and Unexplained IllnessJAMES F. JONES, M.D. 1 May 1985Volume 102, Issue 5 Page: 722-723 Keywords Epstein-Barr virus Statistical methods ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 May 1985 PDF downloadLoading ...