COMPLEMENT-MEDIATED INHIBITION OF IMMUNE PRECIPITATION IN PATIENTS WITH IMMUNE-COMPLEX DISEASES

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 51  (2) , 292-298
Abstract
The ability of human sera to prevent the precipitation of antigen-antibody complexes was investigated. The early complement components including C3 [complement component 3] are required for optimal prevention of immune precipitation, whereas the later components are not required. The sera of 36 of 75 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 14 of 32 with SLE [systemic lupus erythematosus] and 4 of 17 with glomerulonephritis [GN] exhibited reduced capacities to prevent immune precipitation. Sera from patients with seronegative RA, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis or degenerative joint disease were normal in this respect. In SLE and GN sera hypocomplementemia was frequently associated but not always with failure to prevent immune precipitation, whereas only a small proportion of the patients with seropositive RA and reduced capacity to retain complexes in a soluble form were hypocomplementemic. The failure of sera to prevent the precipitation of antigen-antibody complexes is not always associated with hypocomplementemia.