Studies on the immunochemical composition of human thoracic duct lymph of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and polymyositis.

Analysis of immunoglobulins, autoantibodies and third component of complement was carried out on the thoracic duct lymph of 6 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 2 patients with polymyositis. It was found that the distribution of these immunoproteins between lymph and serum reflected the distribution of total protein and did not appear to be dependent on molecular size. There was no significant difference in the distribution of the macromolecule IgM as compared to the other immunoglobulins. IgD was an exception with an unanticipated and unexplained lower concentration in lymph and higher serum to lymph ratio when compared to the other immunoglobulins.