Nuclear deposits of immunoglobulins in skin of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Skin nuclear speckled IgG deposition was noted in seven patients. The patients' clinical courses satisfied at least four of the preliminary criteria of the American Rheumatism Association for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erthematosus (SLE). Examination of approximately 700 additional biopsies from patiets with SLE, connective tissue and various skin diseases as well as normal individuals, failed to demonstrate similar nuclear immunoglobulin deposition. Sera from these seven patients had higher titre, complement fixing anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) of IgG class which produced a speckled nuclear fluorescent pattern. In addition, the sera of all seven patients demonstrated by gel double diffusion precipitating antibodies against nuclear ribonucleoprotein (RNP) or Sm antigens.