ALLOTYPIC DIFFERENCES AND FREQUENCIES OF C4 NULL ALLELES(C4QO) DETECTED IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS(SLE)

Ⅰ. INTRODUCTIONSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect many organ systems, either individually or in a variety of combinations. The clinical course may be fulminant or indolent, but generally is characterized by periods of remissions and relapses. SLE is always associated with depressed C4 (the 4th component of complement) blood level. To explore the possible mechanism of C4 reduction, we determined C4 allotypes, especially C4QO, and found high C4QO frequencies in SLE patients as compared with those in controls.