AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASES AND MONOCLONAL GAMMOPATHIES

Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjogren 's syndrome are nonorganspecific autoimmune diseases in which serum mo noclonal immunoglobulins (MIg) have been identified repeatedly. Conver sely, autoimmune traits have been detected in a number of patients wit h lymphoproliferative disorders such as multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom' s macroglobulinemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The latter cells have even shown to produce multispecific autoantibodies. One connecti on between connective tissue diseases and lymphoid malignancies might be established by a limitedfraction of B lymphocytes expressing the CD 5 marker.