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Secondary Sjögren’s syndrome in patients with RA may be detectable with salivary gland ultrasound
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Secondary Sjögren’s syndrome may be detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis though ultrasound images of the salivary glands, according to recently published research.
Thirty patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were studied, of whom, 90% were women, 67% were nonsmokers and 27% were former smokers. Of the 29 patients who had available laboratory results, 69% were positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), 82% of 28 patients had antibodies to citrullinated proteins and 65% of 17 patients were positive for antinuclear antibodies.
Patients’ functional status was assessed using the multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and RA disease activity was evaluated with the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data (RAPID3) score. Ocular and oral dryness were measured using a sicca syndrome questionnaire based on the American-European Consensus Group 2002 criteria for Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Oral health-related quality of life was assessed with the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14).
Ultrasound was performed using a SonoSite M-Turbo ultrasound scanner with an 8-MHz to 13-MHz linear transducer, and the patients’ thyroid glands were evaluated as an individual reference. Images were obtained and scored by three of the authors. Random sets of images were scored to assess inter-rater variability, which was low.
Of the 30 participants, 12 (40%) had ultrasound scores of 17 or higher, with higher scores indicative of more structural changes and correlating with more positive responses on the sicca questionnaire. Patients with higher scores also had poorer periodontal health and higher RAPID3 scores than patients with low scores. No other associations were found, according to the researchers. - by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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