IMMUNOLOGICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL STUDIES OF TEMPORAL ARTERIES FROM PATIENTS WITH TEMPORAL ARTERITIS AND/OR POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA

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Abstract
Biopsies from the temporal arteries of 62 out of 80 patients presenting a clinical picture of temporal arteritis and/or polymyalgia rheumatica showed morpholically active or healed arteritis. Of these biopsies, 55% revealed Ig[immunoglobulin]G activity as measured by the mixed agglutination test. In 21 of the 27 cases which could be completely studied, the anti-IgG activity was connected with the presence of IgA, alone, or together with IgG or IgM, or both, and complement. All of these 21 biopsies showed morphologically active granulomatous arteritis with signs of tissue destruction. In 6 biopsies, the active component appeared to be some type of Fc receptor in the tissue. Morphologically these biopsies showed non-granulomatous monomuclear arteritis without definite necrosis, or they represented various stages of healing arteritis with no or minor signs of tissue destruction. Weak anti-IgG activity was often found in a morphological type characterized by minimal inflammatory activity. These lesions are easily overlooked and the mixed agglutination test was a good diagnostic tool in such cases. Arteries without anti-IgG activity showed no signs of active arteritis.