A contribution to the synovial fluid immunopathology in rheumatoid arthritis and other arthropathies

The role of the autoimmune or autoallergic process in Progressive Chronic Polyarthritis, has been the subject of a great deal of study in the last four decades. In this work, using the synovial fluid of 312 patients suffering Chronic Progressive Polyarthritis and other arthropaties, the immunopathologic aspects of these diseases are studies. The following techniques had been used: 1. Total protein determination 2. Animal immunization. 3. Gel diffusion. 4. Immunoelectrophoresis. 5. Cellogel electrophoresis. 6. Radial immunodiffusion. 7. Absorption. After a systematic discussion of each of the results obtained (comparing these findings with those of other authors) we have arrived to the following conclusions. 1. The great importance of the immunoglobulins' role in the immunization process and their relation with high total protein titres, especially in PCP. 2. The importance of the IgA role in Rheumatoid Arthritis and in Acute Lymphatic Leukemia, behaving in the former as a Rheumatoid Factor with autoantibody nature. 3. An antigenic community between plasma and synovial proteins, and protein fractions. 4. The existence o af synovial "self" protein could not be demonstrated "in vivo".