This article is part of the supplement: 15th Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PreS) Congress
Poster presentation
Analysis of the classical, alternative, and MBL pathways of the complement system in juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Pediatric Rheumatology 2008, 6(Suppl 1):P1 doi:10.1186/1546-0096-6-S1-P1
Published: 15 September 2008First paragraph (this article has no abstract)
The complement system is involved in the host defence by recognition and elimination of potentially harmful exogenous and endogenous structures from the human body. Activation of complement may also promote inflammatory reactions and cause tissue damage if adequate control is not provided by the complement regulatory proteins. Significant amounts of biologically active products arising from complement activation have been detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.