DETECTION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF IMMUNE-COMPLEXES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PLUS SJOGRENS SYNDROME AND WITH SJOGRENS SYNDROME ALONE

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 48  (2) , 339-347
Abstract
In order to characerize the immune complexes detected in patients with Sjogren''s syndrome (SS) and with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the sera of 19 patients with SS alone and 11 with SS plus RA were examined. Elevated quantities of circulating immune comlexes (CIC) were detected in 67% by the complement component C1q-binding assay (C1q-BA), 73% by the C1q-solid phase (C1q-SP) assay, 43% by the monoclonal rheumatoid factor solid phase assay (mRF-SP) and 33% by the mRF-inhibition assay (MRF-Inh). Elevated concentrations of IgM RF were detected in 83% and of IgG RF in 73% of the sera by radioimmunoassay. Strong correlations existed between RF of the IgM nd IgG classes and both the C1q-BA and the C1q-SP. RF apparently were important components of the immune comlexes detected by these radioimmunoassays. In those patients with RA plus SS, and those with SS alone, both IgM and IgG RF appeared to have made substantial contributions to immune complexes detected both by the C1q-BA and the C1q-SP.