Sjögren’s Syndrome News

DESTIN, Fla. —An over-reliance on elevations in serum immunoglobin G4 concentrations, or tissue immunoglobin G4-positive plasma cell numbers, remain significant “pitfalls” in the diagnosis of immunoglobin G4-related disease, according to findings presented at the 2018 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology.

For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and Sjögren’s syndrome, the productivity costs due to loss of paid and unpaid work were substantial, particularly due to presenteeism and unpaid work impairments, according to findings published in Arthritis Care and Research.

The nature of the relationship that patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases have with their rheumatologist can greatly affect perceptions of — and experiences with — their medications, according to findings published in BMC Rheumatology.

BOSTON — The potential rheumatic side effects of checkpoint inhibitor therapy in patients with cancer can include arthralgia, arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, giant cell arteritis, myositis, sicca syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, and can be chronic in approximately 50% of patients, according to findings presented here.

Thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is immunogenic among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome who have not been treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, according to findings published in BMC Rheumatology.

AstraZeneca has announced that MedImmune, its biologics research and development arm, will spin out a new, independent biotech company named Viela Bio, which will focus on developing medicines for severe autoimmune diseases, according to a press release.

Epratuzumab improved systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity among patients with associated Sjögren's syndrome, an effect not seen among patients without an associated diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

Rheumatology is a subspecialty in internal medicine and pediatrics that deals with the joints, soft tissues, autoimmune diseases and heritable connective tissue disorders. A rheumatologist specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and therapy of the rheumatic diseases.

WAILEA, Hawaii — In dry eye patients who are not improving, Cynthia A. Matossian, MD, recommends ordering testing for Sjögren’s syndrome.

There is “excellent” agreement between the 2002 American-European Consensus Group and the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for primary Sjögren’s syndrome, according to findings published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.