DETECTION OF CIRCULATING IMMUNE COMPLEXES IN PATIENTS WITH GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Abstract

Circulating immune complexes(CIC) are involved in the pathogenesis of various renal diseases. In eighty children with renal disease, CIC were measured using the Raji cell immunofluorecent method(Theofilopoulos's method). This method gave us high positive results in patients with acute glomerulonephritis(ACN) and chronic glomerulonephritis(CCN). The type of CIC antibodies were checked again employing precipitation tests using the polyethylene glycol(PEG) technique(Abe's method). The major results are summarized as follows: 1) In AGN, high levels of CIC were detected especially within 4 weeks after the onset of the disease. CIC including IgA, as well as, IgG and IgM were often detected using the PEG technique, but the level of CIC including IgA were higher than the others. 2) The levels of CIC in poststreptococcal infection, without renal involvement, were intermidiate-level between AGN and healthy children. 3) In nephrotic syndrome, except in one case with positive HBs antigen, CIC were not detected even in acute phase. 4) In, CGN, CIC were detected in high levels, and there was a correlation, the pattern of glomerular localization of immune complexes and CIC. The observations using Raji cell method and PEG technique may be a useful method to monitor activities of disease in patient with immunologically mediated renal diseases.