Sjögren’s Syndrome News

Patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome may have a high incidence of pruritus that may negatively impact sleep and quality of life, according to recently presented data.

Disease activity was higher in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome who also had certain autoantibodies, which were significantly associated with the presence of anti-Ro60, anti-Ro52, anti-La, rheumatoid factor and hypergammaglobulinemia, as well as higher ocular surface staining scores, lower Schirmer’s test scores and minor labial salivary gland biopsy focus scores of 3 or higher, according to recently published research.

Although patients with Sjögren’s syndrome who had anti-centromere antibodies had more severe exocrine glandular dysfunction and more pronounced inflammation of the labial salivary glandular, this characteristic was not linked with fibrosis, according to recently published research.

Investigators of a recently published study found invariant natural killer T cells ex vivo in peripheral blood from patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome, but not in their salivary glands, and detected anti-SSA-specific B cells in target tissue.

Patients with Sjögren’s syndrome and gastrointestinal disease were more likely to have elevated levels of fecal calprotectin compared to patients without gastrointestinal disease, according to researchers from Sweden.

Patients with Sjögren’s syndrome tended to have higher levels of vitamin D compared with healthy control participants in a recently presented study, which found no association with antibodies and levels of vitamin D.

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association has released a report available to the public that addresses topics in autoimmune diseases, research and patient information following a one-day autoimmune summit in Washington, D.C., that involved about 20 researchers.

Discussions surrounding fatigue and its impact are not routinely raised with patients with rheumatic diseases and patients may face significant barriers to communication about the impact of fatigue, according to researchers from the United Kingdom.

Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder characterized primarily by dry eyes and mouth, which is caused by a person’s white blood cells attacking moisture glands, such as those that produce tears and saliva. People with Sjögren’s syndrome also may have joint pain and fatigue.

Reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus may be common in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome and may be involved in the progression of gland dysfunction or damage, according to researchers in Warsaw, Poland.