Circulating and Tissue-Fixed Immune Complexes in Cases of Rheumatic Heart Disease

The role of immune complexes in the pathogenesis of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) is now well established. However, its role in the pathogenesis of other major nonsuppurative complications of streptococcal infection, such as acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) has not received much attention. Van de Rijn et al., [2], Williams et al. [3], and Yoshinoya and Pope [4] have observed the presence of circulating immune complexes (CIC) in the majority of patients with ARF. However, the presence of CIC in patients with CRHD has not been established.