Frequency of systemic manifestations in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome in Argentina

Abstract Twenty to 71% of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) will develop systemic manifestations. Objetive To characterize the clinical-serological presentation and the frequency of systemic manifestations in patients with primary SS. Methods Retrospective study including patients with SS visited in “Hospital Britanico de Buenos Aires” during the period from January 2000 to August 2008. Results Forty-one patients fulfilled the 2002 American-European classification criteria for SS. All patients were women. Mean age at enrollment was 57,85±12,42 years (range 26–79). Mean duration of the disease was 9,28 years (range 0,08–24). Thirty-three (80.49%) developed systemic manifestations. The most frequent were arthritis, cutaneous vasculitis and polyneuropathy. This group featured more frequently ANA titles ≥1/640 and hypocomplementemia; although no statistical significance was found. The frequency of systemic manifestations found was greater than reported in the literature. Conclusions A multidisciplinary approach focusing also on systemic manifestations should be the new standard for management of SS.