Immune Complexes and the Evolution of Lyme Arthritis

Abstract

In a prospective study of 78 patients with Lyme arthritis, abnormal serum C1q binding activity was present at the initial onset of erythema chronicum migrans in nearly all cases. The abnormal binding persisted in patients with subsequent nerve or heart involvement. In contrast, among those with only subsequent arthritis, it usually disappeared within three months (P = 0.018). However, in the synovial fluid of affected joints, abnormal binding was uniformly present, and always to a greater extent than in the circulation.