Sjögren’s Syndrome News

WASHINGTON — A majority of patients with fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain were diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy based on reduced epidermal nerve fiber, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is reasonable to use for treating patients with rheumatic diseases that include articular pain, swelling or mechanical symptoms at specific joints without definitive diagnosis on clinical exam, according to one of 14 recommendations made by an American College of Rheumatology task force panel.

Healthy individuals with elevated plasma levels of the antibody rheumatoid factor had up to a 26-fold greater long-term risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis than those with normal levels in a prospective study.

Patients with Sjögren’s syndrome processed and regulated emotions normally although a relatively large number were alexithymic in a recent study.

Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies might serve as a better biomarker than other typical autoantibodies for rheumatoid arthritis in American Indians, researchers found in a study.

Rheumatoid factor is the autoantibody most relevant in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid factor is characterized as an antibody against the fragment crystallizable portion of immunoglobulin G. When rheumatoid factor and immunoglobulin G join, immune complexes that contribute to the disease process are formed.

Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of the glands that produce moisture, primarily tears and saliva. The primary form of the condition affects the mouth and eyes. The secondary form may affect the kidneys and lungs and occur alone or with other autoimmune disorders such as polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma or systemic lupus erythematosus

A rheumatologist is a specialist in the field of rheumatology who has received postgraduate training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles and bones. Apart from the main types of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, a rheumatologist may treat 100 different types of pain and musculoskeletal disorders, including autoimmune diseases, back pain, fibromyalgia, gout, lupus, osteoporosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, spondylitis, Still’s disease and tendinitis.

The Sjögren’s International Collaborative Clinical Alliance has presented new classification criteria for research on Sjögren’s syndrome. Previously, research classifications for the autoimmune disease, which affects several areas of the body such as the eyes, salivary glands, and joints, had been subjective. The new objective criteria will help to standardize clinical trial enrollment and comparability of research data, researchers said.

Researchers have found that fatigue is mostly unchanged throughout time in primary Sjogren’s Syndrome patients and found no clinical or laboratory indicators of fatigue, according to recent research published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.