News

People with primary Sjögren’s syndrome who’d never received treatment for it show disturbances in their gut microbiota similar to what’s seen in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), another chronic autoimmune disorder, a study in China reports. Gut microbiota are microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract — bacteria, fungi, and viruses —…

To help people understand what life is like with Sjögren’s syndrome, a disorder that affects an estimated four million people in the U.S., this year’s Sjögren’s Awareness Month will again spotlight personal stories from patients. The event, observed each April, seeks to bring attention to the systemic autoimmune disease…

The case of a woman who was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome after experiencing unusual symptoms, including hives and joint pain, was described in a recent report. “Our case highlights that rheumatological diseases do not always present with the typical clinical features and require a more detailed physical examination and…

Ultrasound evaluation of the salivary glands may be useful for diagnosing Sjögren’s syndrome, a new study reports. “Our results showed that [salivary gland ultrasound] may have a wide range of applications in the diagnosis of [Sjögren’s syndrome] due to its excellent interreader agreement and diagnostic performance,” researchers wrote. Ultrasound…

Dry cough and shortness of breath were found to be significant predictors of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with scarring in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome in a recent study. Patients with lung scarring, or fibrosis, also showed distinct features on CT scans and had a shorter disease duration than…

People with peripheral neuropathy co-occurring with primary Sjögren’s syndrome may see their symptoms ease or even disappear with immunosuppressive therapy, a study found. Researchers observed that Sjögren’s patients who tested positive for certain self-reactive antibodies or had too high levels of proteins called globulins in the blood were at…

Osteoarthritis, rather than inflammatory arthritis, was the more common cause of joint pain among primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients in a small study. While arthritis is associated primarily with inflammation and swelling, osteoarthritis (OA) typically is linked to the mechanical wearing down of joints. Analyses revealed that older age and certain…

Adults with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) have a higher prevalence of common allergic disorders compared with those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), another autoimmune condition, a medical records analysis has found. Specifically, food and medicine allergies, nose inflammation known as allergic rhinitis, and eye inflammation called allergic conjunctivitis were found…

Dry eye disease (DED) was found to significantly affect health- and vision-related quality of life in people with Sjögren’s syndrome in a new study. Patients with Sjögren’s “have a lower perceived [life quality] especially in relation to physical and mental wellbeing, correlating to severity of DED symptoms and…

A gene called PSMC6 may be involved in driving inflammation and immune cell infiltration into the glands affected by primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), a study found. PSMC6, which was more highly expressed, or active, in the blood of pSS patients than in that of healthy people, also was linked to lower…