IMMUNE-COMPLEXES IN JUVENILE RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - A COMPARISON OF 4 METHODS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 9  (3) , 395-401
Abstract
Children (53) with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) were tested for immune complexes (IC) by 4 different methods, Clq [chloroquine] solid-phase assay (ClqSPA), 2% polyethylene glycol precipitation assay (PEGPA), Raji cell assay (RCA) and the conglutinin assay (KA). Of JRA, patients 79% demonstrated elevated IC levels by at least 1 method. Of these, 58% had elevated levels of IC by ClqSPA, 50% by the RCA, 37% by the KA, but 0% by the PEGPA. There were 74% of patients with polyarticular-onset, 88% with pauciarticular-onset and 80% with systemic-onset JRA that showed elevated levels of IC by at least 1 method. In the polyarticular-onset group, both in the rheumatoid factor (RF) positive (100%) and RF negative (64%) patients, and in the systemic-onset group (60%), the most elevated levels were demonstrated by the ClqSPA. The most elevated levels were found in the pauciarticular-onset type (69%) by the RCA. The presence of elevated levels of IC by the KA correlated with the presence of RF (P < 0.01), hidden RF (P < 0.05) and antinuclear antibodies (P < 0.05). Elevated levels of IC detected by the ClqSPA correlated with the presence of RF (P < 0.01), hidden RF (P < 0.05), and active disease (P < 0.01).