Abstract
Rheumatoid factors (RF) are antibodies directed against the constant region (Fc) of IgG. Although originally described in association with rheumatoid arthritis [1,2], they occur in a wide range of pathological and non-pathological states, and it soon became evident that RF were not specific for rheumatoid arthritis. Early studies demonstrated the regular appearance of RF during the course of chronic infections such as subacute bacterial endocarditis [3], leprosy and various chronic liver diseases [4] including infectious hepatitis. They were also found to occur frequently in patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma [4–6], and with certain neoplastic conditions, mainly Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patinets with mixed cryoglobulinemia have provided an important source of monoclonal IgM-RF, as it regularly participates in immune complex formation in these patients.
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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Goldfien, R.D., Fong, S., Chen, P., Carson, D.A. (1986). Structure and function of rheumatoid factor: implications for its role in the pathogenesis of mixed cryoglobulinemia. In: Ponticelli, C., Minetti, L., D’Amico, G. (eds) Antiglobulins, cryoglobulins and glomerulonephritis. Developments in Nephrology, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4289-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4289-9_3
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