| | Controls (16) | Patients (16) | | Controls (16) | Patients (16) |
|---|
Men/Women | 1/15 | 2/14 | Autoantibodies | 0 | 15 |
Age (years) | 53.5 | 56 | Anti-Ro | 0 | 13 |
Leukocytes (× 109/l) | 6.8 | 4.85 | Anti-La | 0 | 11 |
Xerophthalmia | 0 | 16 | Decreased salivary flow | N/A | 8 |
Xerostomia | 0 | 15 | Schirmer’s test | N/A | 16 |
Dysphagia | 0 | 10 | MSG biopsy | N/A | 11 |
TMJ disorders | 0 | 8 | | | |
Thyroid dysfunction | 0 | 4 | | | |
Arthritis | 0 | 4 | | | |
Fatigue | 0 | 11 | | | |
Weight loss | 0 | 4 | | | |
Raynaud’s phenom | 0 | 3 | | | |
NSAIDs | 0 | 5 | | | |
Cyclosporin A | 0 | 4 | | | |
Corticosteroids | 0 | 5 | | | |
Antimalarials | 0 | 2 | | | |
- Abbreviations: MSG biopsy Minor salivary gland biopsy, NSAIDs Non-steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs, TMJ disorder Temporomandibular joint disorder, AUTOANTIBODIES Anti-Ro, Anti-La, autoantibodies against ribonucleoproteins. Positive test of decreased salivary flow: saliva volume less than 8 ml/30 min (basal salivation (15 min)/stimulated salivation (15 min)). Positive Schirmer’s test: tear production less than 5 mm of the testing paper in 5 min. Positive minor salivary gland biopsy: focus score (FS) more or equal 1 (FS is defined as a count of lymphocytic foci containing more than 50 mononuclear cells per 4 mm2 tissue biopsy); these three tests were not applied in the control group
- Age and number of leukocytes are displayed as median values. All other parameters are described by the number of positive cases. Xerophthalmia and xerostomia were characterised as subjective perception of eye and mouth dryness, respectively
