Immune complexes in food-induced arthralgia

: Ten patients are described who, in addition to other allergic symptoms, suffered from arthralgia. Dietary exclusion relieved the symptoms and specific food challenge reproduced them. IgG anti-IgE autoantibodies were high in patients with arthralgia in the serum and in the synovial fluid as compared with normals and the majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic arthralgia, and osteoarthritis used as controls. In three food-allergic patients IgG anti-IgE was detectable in a complexed form in the serum samples examined before and after food challenge. The finding of IgG anti-IgE autoantibody in a group of patients with allergic arthralgia is quite exciting. It raises the possibility of distinguishing a subgroup of arthralgic patients not having a classical rheumatoid arthritis, who may have a definable external exacerbating cause for their symptoms. A larger detailed survey is now in progress.