[Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency in chronic inflammatory rheumatism and mechanical arthropathies. Preliminary results]

Alpha-1-antitrypsine (AAT) plasmatic level is higher (p less than 0.01) in 85 chronic inflammatory arthropathies than in 238 non inflammatory arthropathies (2.5+/0.7 versus 2.1+/0.4 g/l). Among 15 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with evaluated phenotype, alleles M2 are less frequent and M3 more frequent than in 22 non inflammatory arthropathies (p less than 0.02). Some abnormal phenotype are observed: M2Z (AAT = 1.7) without pulmonary involvement (1 RA); M3S in 2 seronegative spondylarthropathies (1 pulmonary involvement without tobacco intoxication: DLCO/VA: 69% of theoric value; AAT = 1.4); ZZ in a systemic lupus erythematosus with panlobular emphysema and hepatic cirrhosis (AAT = 0.4). An AAT deficiency could explain some pulmonary involvements in chronic inflammatory arthropathies.