Immune deposits in the dermo-epidermal junction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Skin biopsies from forty patients with rheumatoid arthritis were studied for presence of immune deposits in the dermo-epidermal junction zone. In about half of these unselected patients with classical and definite rheumatoid arthritis, IgM, complement components and fibrinogen antigenic material were found. A positive correlation is demonstrated between immune deposits and the presence of cryoglobulins in serum. The presence of complement components in the skin deposits was found to be clearly related to the clinical activity of the disease, as judged by Lansbury's index.