This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by García-Carrasco, M Articles by Ingelmo, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by García-Carrasco, M Articles by Ingelmo, M Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Primary Sjögren's syndrome in the elderly: clinical and immunological characteristics

R Cervera

Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona; Unitat de Malalties Autoimmunes Sistémiques, Hospital Clínic, C/Villarroel, 170, 08036-Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

J Rosas

Rheumatology Unit, Hospital de la Vila-joiosa, Alicante

M Ramos-Casals

R M Morlá

A Sisó

S Jimé

Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona

L Pallaré

Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Son Dureta, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

J Font

M Ingelmo

Systemic Autoimmune Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona

The objective of the study was to determine the clinical and immunological characteristics of primary Sjoögren's syndrome (SS) in patients with an older onset of the disease. We included 223 consecutive patients (204 female and 19 male; mean age at onset 53 years; range 15-87 years) visited in our Units. All patients were white and fulfilled four or more of the diagnostic criteria for SS proposed by the European Community Study Group in 1993. Disease onset was determined on the basis of the appearance of symptoms strongly suggestive of SS. In 31 patients the onset of disease occurred after the age of 70 years, and they represent the elderly-onset group described in this report. The remaining 192 patients presented disease onset before the age of 70 years, and they represent the younger-onset group.

Of the 31 (14%) patients with elderly onset of primary SS, 26 were female and 5 male, and the disease onset occurred between 70 and 87 years (mean 74 years). The most common extraglandular manifestations were articular involvement (29%), hepatic involvement (20%), peripheral neuropathy (16%) and interstitial pneumopathy (13%). When compared with patients with a younger onset, the prevalences of glandular and extraglandular manifestations and immunological features (cryoglobulinemia, hypocomplementemia and positivity for RF, anti-Ro/SS-A or anti-La/SS-B) were similar in both groups.

In conclusion, although primary SS is typically a disease of middle-aged adults, clinicians should note that it may be diagnosed frequently among elderly patients. However, we could not found any notable differences in clinical and immunological characteristics of patients with elderly onset of primary SS.

Key Words: elderly patients • primary Sjögren's syndrome

Lupus, Vol. 8, No. 1, 20-23 (1999)
DOI: 10.1191/096120399678847353


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Carrozzo and S. Gandolfo ORAL DISEASES POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATITIS C VIRUS Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, March 1, 2003; 14(2): 115 - 127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Font, M. Garcia-Carrasco, M. Ramos-Casals, A. I. Aldea, R. Cervera, M. Ingelmo, J. Vives, and J. Yague The role of interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in the clinical expression of primary Sjogren's syndrome Rheumatology, September 1, 2002; 41(9): 1025 - 1030. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Rosas, M. Ramos-Casals, J. Ena, M. Garcia-Carrasco, J. Verdu, R. Cervera, J. Font, O. Caballero, M. Ingelmo, and E. Pascual Usefulness of basal and pilocarpine-stimulated salivary flow in primary Sjogren's syndrome. Correlation with clinical, immunological and histological features Rheumatology, June 1, 2002; 41(6): 670 - 675. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]