Rheumatoid factors: host resistance or autoimmunity?
MM Newkirk - Clinical immunology, 2002 - Elsevier
Rheumatoid factors (RFs), autoantibodies that bind to the Fc portion of IgG, are important in
the immune response. RF-committed B-cells exist in the circulating lymphocyte pool in a
high frequency (∼ 1–2%) in normal individuals and in patients with pathological conditions
associated with the sustained levels of circulating RF, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
Sjogren's syndrome (SS), and mixed cryoglobulinemia, associated with hepatitis C virus
infection. RFs are induced by many infectious entities (viruses, bacteria, parasites) as a …
the immune response. RF-committed B-cells exist in the circulating lymphocyte pool in a
high frequency (∼ 1–2%) in normal individuals and in patients with pathological conditions
associated with the sustained levels of circulating RF, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
Sjogren's syndrome (SS), and mixed cryoglobulinemia, associated with hepatitis C virus
infection. RFs are induced by many infectious entities (viruses, bacteria, parasites) as a …