Maini R N
Aust N Z J Med. 1978;8 Suppl 1:51-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1978.tb04785.x.
Rheumatoid factors are immunoglobulins with antibody specificity for antigenic sites on the Fc part of the heavy chain of IgG. The heterogeneity of RF in terms of antigenic specificity and class of immunoglobulin is indicative of the complexity of the provoking immune response. There is little doubt that in many patients rheumatoid factors are autoantibodies which form part of immune complexes, and that complexes containing IgG rheumatoid factor appear to be of pathogenetic importance. Although IgM rheumatoid factors are not specific for RA, their detection aids in the diagnosis and categorisation of rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, IgG rheumatoid factors occur in a variety of rheumatic diseases and are of little diagnostic value.
类风湿因子是对IgG重链Fc部分抗原位点具有抗体特异性的免疫球蛋白。类风湿因子在抗原特异性和免疫球蛋白类别方面的异质性表明激发免疫反应的复杂性。毫无疑问，在许多患者中，类风湿因子是构成免疫复合物一部分的自身抗体，并且含有IgG类风湿因子的复合物似乎具有致病重要性。尽管IgM类风湿因子并非类风湿关节炎所特有，但它们的检测有助于类风湿关节炎的诊断和分类。另一方面，IgG类风湿因子存在于多种风湿性疾病中，诊断价值不大。
