Studies on cold insoluble globulin in dermatological patients. II. Its immunochemical quantitation in citrated plasma in a group of unselected dermatological inpatients.

Cold insoluble globulin (CIG) is the main non-clottable protein of heparin precipitable fraction from dermatological patients. CIG is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 440 000. It is found on cell membranes on fibroblasts and is a normal protein of human plasma and serum. Levels of CIG in citrated plasma are sex- and age-dependent, but the origin and its physiological significance is unknown. In plasma of 294 dermatological patients, levels of CIG were elevated in eczema contactum allergicum (males and females 30-49 years), psoriatic arthritis (females 50 years and above) and were depressed in dermatitis herpetiformis (males 30-49 years).