SUMMARY Circulating immunecomplexes were determined in59consecutive patients withCrohn's disease and100blooddonors bya double methodbased on theinhibition oftheagglutinating activity ofCIqand/or rheumatoid factor on IgG-coated polystyrene particles. Inpatients, the incidence ofpositive immunecomplexes was 63% and61% atfirst testing, 85% and78% atsubsequent determinations; there was agoodcorrelation between theinhibition titres ofCIqandthose ofrheumatoid factor (P< 0(001). Inblood donors, theincidence was22% and14%atlowtitre. The incidence ofimmunecomplexes was thelowest (36%)inthegroup ofresected patients without signs ofrelapse; repeatdeterminations showedabsenice ofimmunecomplexes three months postoperatively. Inpatients medically treated forprimary disease or relapse, rheumatoid factor titre higher than1/1 wasless frequent thaninmedically untreated patients withactive disease (P< 001). A significantly higher concentration ofserumalpha-1-antitryp sin andorosomucoid, anda significantly lower level ofserumiron werefoundinpatients with an ICtitre exceeding 1/1; longitudinal studies showedinmostcasesa concordance between theevolution ofimmunecomplex titres, inflammatory parameters andclinical status. A highincidence ofcirculating immunecomplexes (IC)hasbeenreported inregional enterocolitis. Mowbrayetal.(1973), using theCIqagargelprecipitation method (Agnello etal., 1970), found an incidence of28% in32patients andnione incontrols. Doeetal. (1973), with thesamemethod, found a57% incidence in21patients and3% incontrols. Jewell andMcLennon(1973) showedthatseraof18 patients withCrohn's disease significantly inhibited theantibody-induced cytotoxicity mediated by lymphocytes, compared withseraof20control subjects; this inhibition, attributed tosmall immune complexes, seemed related totheseverity ofthe disease buttherewasno statistical evaluation, because ofthesmall numbers. Toevaluate thesignificance ofthis abnormal immunological phenomenon inCrohn's disease, we measured theimmunecomplexes inrelation tothe activity ofthedisease. We alsostudied theinfluence 'Presented inpartattheForumdeRecherches delaSociete Nationale Frangaise de Gastro-enterologie,
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