THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES IN JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC BILATERAL IRIDOCYCLITIS

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Serum samples from 8 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and chronic bilateral iridocyclitis were significantly distinguished from 5 children with JRA and no eye symptoms by the presence of large immune complexes (IC) > 22S, IgM antinuclear antibodies (ANA), IgG granulocyte-specific (GS-) ANA, C3 [complement component 3] fixing ANA, and IgM anti-IgG. One serum with and 2 sera without IC > 22S, all from patients with iridocyclitis, were fractionated by rate zonal ultracentrifugation. Each fraction relevant to the study was separately concentrated and reexamined. In one of the sera without IC > 22S, this technique exposed the presence of IgA GS-ANA not detectable in the corresponding whole serum. IgG ANA were precipitated in an area with higher MW than the one for IgG indicating the presence of aggregated IgG ANA. Fractionation of the serum with IC > 22S demonstrated IgM GS-ANA not present in whole serum. ANA may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic iridocyclitis. The results may explain why NAN (in particular C3 fixing ANA) negative patients with JRA rarely develop chronic iridocyclitis.