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Men with pSS may have higher antibody levels, more extraglandular involvement vs. women

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Researchers from the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm recently presented data that showed men with primary Sjögren’s syndrome tended to have higher levels of autoantibodies and a greater number of extraglandular manifestations of disease than women.

The study included 136 women and 10 men with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) from Stockholm County diagnosed with the condition between Jan. 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2011 using the 2002 revised American–European Consensus Criteria (AECC) in the hospital’s department of rheumatology. On average, male patients were younger than female patients were at the time of diagnosis (48 years vs. 57 years). Investigators collected extraglandular manifestations (EGM) with the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) and sera at the time of diagnosis.

The frequency of anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies were similar between men and women, but men were slightly more likely to have higher levels of anti-Ro52 antibodies and more likely to have high levels (above 80 AU) compared with women. Cutaneous vasculitis was more common in male patients and interstitial lung disease and alveolitis was more frequent compared with women. No EGM was more common among women than among men, and concomitant EGMs occurred more frequently in men with pSS.

“Our study, based on a cohort of incident, treatment-naïve cases collected in a population-based manner during a 5-year period, indicates that disease onset is earlier in men, and that the immune activity is higher,” the researchers wrote. “Importantly, half of the male patients presented one or more EGM at diagnosis, supporting the conclusion that pSS in men represents a more severe form of disease, regardless of the lower risk for males to develop the disease.” - by Shirley Pulawski

Reference:

Ramírez J, et al. Paper #640. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting; Nov. 7-11, 2015; San Francisco.

Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.