Attachment of IgG to dermal extracellular matrix in patients with fibromyalgia.
Deposits of IgG localized to collagen bundles/extracellular matrix components occurred in skin biopsies from patients with primary fibromyalgia (PF). None of these patients demonstrated a positive lupus band test. Control skin biopsies from healthy controls were negative but showed intense reactivity for IgG after collagenase treatment. PF-skin attached both homologous and heterologous serum IgG in indirect immunofluorescence, which may point to a qualitative alteration of dermal matrix components in PF. Skin from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis showed a lower dermal fluorescence intensity than in PF patients. The cause of the presence of IgG in dermal tissue from PF patients is unclear. It may be caused by a non-specific attachment of IgG to the extracellular matrix related, for example, to tissue hypoxia and/or increased capillary leakage due to an increased number of mast cells in the PF-skin.
Eneström
S
S
Department of Pathology I, University of Linköping, Sweden.
Bengtson
A
A
Lindström
F
F
Johan
K
K
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002452:Cell Count; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology; D003012:Microbial Collagenase / Q000494:pharmacology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D003012:Microbial Collagenase