[Carpal tunnel syndrome--a leading symptom in generalized tendomyopathy].

Among 75 of 100 patients with generalized tendomyopathy, carpal-tunnel syndrome developed in the course of the disease and was demonstrated both clinically and electromyographically, requiring operative intervention in 10%. Furthermore, 17 of 26 patients previously operated on for carpal-tunnel syndrome, had chronic tendomyopathy requiring treatment, and in six there was severe generalized tendomyopathy. Thus generalized tendomyopathy can be the precipitating underlying disease in a large number of cases with so-called idiopathic carpal-tunnel syndrome.

[Complement activation in patients with chronic polyarthritis, measured by the level of complement fraction C3a in plasma].

Using a new C3a-radioimmunoassay, we could show a significantly increased complement activity in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. The C3a-plasma level in rheumatoid patients was 529 ng/ml, whereas in patients with psoriatic arthropathy it was 164 ng/ml, in patients with noninflammatory muscular pain syndromes 170 ng/ml and in healthy blood donors we found a mean level of 221 ng/ml. The reproducibility was high, therefore it seems that the possibility to calculate the risks of complement-activating immunological disorders can be increased by using the C3a-radioimmunoassay.