[Antiplatelet antibodies of the IgM class detected by ELISA in the serum of 20 patients with rheumatoid polyarthritis. Inverse correlation with the presence of anti-B lymphocyte antibodies].

In an earlier study, the authors demonstrated IgM anti-B lymphocyte antibodies in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In an attempt to identify the target antigen, we studied the reactivity of these same sera to other cells, by means of a recently developed ELISA micro-method. 7 of the 20 sera contained IgM anti-platelet antibodies. There is an inverse correlation between the presence of anti-platelet antibodies and anti-B lymphocytes antibodies. The detection of anti-platelet antibodies in the serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis may correspond to the recognition of aggregated immunoglobulins or specific immune complexes bound to receptors on the surface of the platelets.