Smoking is associated with IgA-EBV titer among healthy male in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is rare worldwide. However, South East Asia, including Indonesia, is a "hotspot" for NPC. In the endemic area, the implication of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the pathogenesis of NPC is well-known; while the smoking habit is one of the confirmed risks of NPC worldwide. Elevated titer of immunoglobulin A to EBV (IgA-EBV) among healthy people is one of risks for NPC, and further proposed for screening of the cancer, while the association of the smoking habit and IgA-EBV among healthy people is still inconclusive. This study was aimed at assessing the association of smoking and IgA-EBV titer among healthy individuals in Yogyakarta. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 2013 recruited 241 and 38 healthy male and female donors, respectively, at a local Red Cross unit. Demographic and smoking intensity information were obtained through self-completion questionnaires. Parallel peripheral blood samples collected at the study entry were tested for IgA-EBNA1+VCA-p18-ELISA. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between smoking and IgA-EBV titer, and adjusted properly. Results: Forty-five of the 279 subjects (16.13%) had IgA-EBV titer above the cut-off value (0.41). Analysis on smoking habits was done in males, as none of females were smokers. Of male subjects with 115 smokers vs. 126 non-smokers, an association between the smoking habit and IgA-EBV positivity (OR = 2.350; 95%CI = 1.086-5.085). Further analysis did not find association between cumulative number of cigarettes consumed and IgA-EBV titer. Conclusion: This study showed that tobacco smoking is associated with IgA-EBV titer. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.