Circulating immune complexes

What it means

Persistence of immune complexes in the blood circulation.

Immune complexes are formed of interlocking antigens and antibodies and are normally are rapidly removed from the bloodstream by macrophages in the spleen and Kupffer cells in the liver. If they persist abnormally in the circulation, they may become trapped in various tissues and induce inflammatory reactions.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category