title: Fibrillar crystal structure in essential monoclonal IgM kappa cryoglobulinemia.
abstract: In monoclonal IgG cryoglobulinemia, two types of crystallization have been demonstrated with electron microscopy at high magnification. In contrast, little information is available on well-defined crystallization in cases of monoclonal IgM cryoglobulinemia. We present a case of pure monoclonal IgM kappa cryoglobulinemia and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis occurring in a 75-year-old woman. We detected unequivocal formation of fibrillar crystal structure within intraglomerular macrophages on electron microscopy: the structure accords with that in a case of monoclonal IgG cyroglobulinemia described in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, Nabeshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomiyoshi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakemi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimokama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000473:pathology*; D003460:Crystallization; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis*; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000032:analysis*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008264:Macrophages / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains