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Studies on the Vasculopathy of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Relation to “Systemic Rheumatoid Disease”

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Arthritis

Summary

Granular skin vessel wall immune deposits containing IgM and C3 have been found in skin biopsies in 18 out of 44 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A systematic study of extraarticular organ manifestations revealed a high incidence of arteriopathies as measured by several angiologic methods. These arteriopathies were more pronounced in patients with positive skin vessel wall immune deposits. Positive correlations were also observed between the amount of circulating immune complexes, the serum IgM levels, and serum antiglobulin titres. Other extraarticular organ manifestations included lung fibrosis of different degrees, perivascular infiltrates of lung blood vessels, pericardial effusions, and less frequently, peripheral polyneuropathy. Electron microscopic examination revealed absence of inflammatory cellular infiltrates in blood vessel walls, but insudation indicating increased vascular permeability was observed. A possible mechanism involving a platelet release reaction in vivo is discussed as the cause of the observed permeability disturbance. The relevance of finding immune complexes in skin vessel walls in RA in terms of disease progress and development of extraarticular organ manifestations can only be estimated in further long-term examination of the patients in this study.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 54-G3.

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Authors
  1. H. Deicher
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  2. H. Mielke
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  3. W. Daniel
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  4. W. Drommer
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  5. M. Fischer
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  6. R. Fritsch
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  7. H. Müller-Vahl
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  8. G. Sybrecht
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  9. E. Weissbarth
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Immunologie und Transfusionsmedizin, Zentrum Innere Medizin und Dermatologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Karl-Wiechert-Allee 9, 3000, Hannover 61, Federal Republic of Germany

    Helmuth Deicher

  2. Institut für Pathologie der Tierärztlichen, Hochschule Hannover, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 3000, Hannover 1, Federal Republic of Germany

    Leo-Clemens Schulz

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© 1981 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Deicher, H. et al. (1981). Studies on the Vasculopathy of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Relation to “Systemic Rheumatoid Disease”. In: Deicher, H., Schulz, LC. (eds) Arthritis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68106-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68106-6_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-10781-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68106-6

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