PMC:3845430 / 6066-7021 JSONTXT

{"project":"2_test","denotations":[{"id":"24324289-12139942-25763403","span":{"begin":235,"end":237},"obj":"12139942"},{"id":"24324289-1951415-25763404","span":{"begin":239,"end":241},"obj":"1951415"},{"id":"24324289-15229956-25763405","span":{"begin":284,"end":286},"obj":"15229956"},{"id":"24324289-12869035-25763406","span":{"begin":365,"end":367},"obj":"12869035"},{"id":"24324289-15229956-25763407","span":{"begin":510,"end":512},"obj":"15229956"},{"id":"24324289-15110228-25763408","span":{"begin":723,"end":725},"obj":"15110228"},{"id":"24324289-12139942-25763409","span":{"begin":944,"end":946},"obj":"12139942"},{"id":"24324289-12375308-25763410","span":{"begin":948,"end":950},"obj":"12375308"}],"text":"5. RFs in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases\nRFs are frequently detected in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, polymyositis, and dermatomyositis (Table 1) [24, 25]. \nPatients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) [41] and those with type II and III mixed cryoglobulinemia (usually HCV related) [42] have the highest RF titres. \nAbout 60% of the patients with primary SS are RF positive, with males having higher IgA RF levels than females [41]. It is also thought that the disease-related transformation of activated RF-positive B cell clones is involved in the pathogenesis of the lymphoproliferative disorders that develop in about 5% of SS patients [43]. Most SS patients have high titres of polyclonal RFs, whereas monoclonal RFs can be detected in patients with type II mixed cryoglobulinemia and, to a lesser extent, in SS patients with lymphoproliferative disorders [24, 34].\n\n6"}