April is Sjögren’s Awareness Month, a time for rheumatologists to help educate the public and themselves about Sjögren’s syndrome and its diagnosis. With newly published clinical practice guidelines, Nancy Carteron, MD, encourages rheumatologists to be first responders for this patient population…
The clinical practice guidelines for managing Sjögren’s syndrome, developed by the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation with the ACR, were designed to improve quality and consistency of care. In total, 19 recommendations were agreed on, which include managing the rheumatic and systemic aspects of the disease. Recommendations include a decision tree for the use of DMARDs for inflammatory musculoskeletal pain, use of self-care measures and exercise to reduce fatigue, and the use of rituximab in selected clinical settings for oral and ocular dryness…
Two previously unidentified cellular players in the pathogenesis of primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) have been discovered: a regulatory T cell (Prdm1+eTreg) and a helper T cell (Il21+Th1). In the study, researchers also identified the transcriptional signatures of these cells and their differential dependency on the lymphotoxin/LIGHT signaling axis, which may guide future therapeutic interventions…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Geolocation and ethnicity exert a “strong influence” on the phenotype of primary Sjogren’s syndrome, researchers report. “The influence of ethnicity on the phenotypic expression of systemic autoimmune diseases has been suggested by various studies, especially in systemic lupus erythematosus, which has been reported as being more frequent and having less favorable outcomes…
Classification criteria for primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) have been approved by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), validating an international set of classification criteria for SS using standards set by both organizations. Those criteria can now be found in the 2016 ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria for Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: A…
Research has explored the connection between Sjögren’s syndrome and intestinal dysbiosis associated with ocular mucosal disease. A recent study found that oral antibiotics and desiccating stress lead to extreme changes in the gut microbiota in mice. In patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, researchers found that patients with the most severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca and combined systemic and ocular disease had the lowest diversity of stool microbiota…
SAN FRANCISCO—Let’s say your radiologist comes to you and says that an angiogram gives a diagnosis of CNS vasculitis on four patients, all with acute onset of headache and stroke: One is a 25-year-old woman who is three months pregnant. Another is a 50-year-old man using excessive doses of nasal decongestants. Another is a 40-year-old…
Despite a generation of advances in molecular biology, a huge gap exists between the Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) patient’s description of their symptoms and the objective findings. Current issues include: Many SS patients are misclassified as either rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), even within rheumatology clinics. Frequently, the sickest SS patients with extraglandular…
Tips to screen for, treat central or peripheral nervous system disorders, lymphoma in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome
Study adds to research linking increased risk of morbidity, early mortality from CV events among patients with systemic autoimmune diseases