81 research outputs found
Clinical manifestations and early diagnosis of Sjogren syndrome
Sjogren syndrome (SS) is a common autoimmume disease evidenced by broad
organ-specific and systemic manifestations, the most prevalent being
diminished lacrimal and salivary gland function, xerostomia,
keratoconjunctivitis sicca, and parotid gland enlargement. Primary SS
presents alone, and secondary SS occurs in connection with autoimmune
rheumatic diseases. In addition, symptoms do not always present
concurrently. This diversity of symptomatic expression adds to the
difficulty in initial diagnosis. Armed with the recently refined
criteria for diagnosis, specialists, such as rheumatologists, primary
care physicians, ophthalmologists, and dentists, who would otherwise
focus only on those symptoms that encompass their areas of expertise,
can get a comprehensive image of the presenting patient, leading to
earlier identification and treatment of SS
Lung involvement in Sjogren's syndrome
Lung involvement in primary Sjogren’s syndrome, was first described by
Henrik Sjogren more than 50 years ago, who reported similar
histopathological changes in the exocrine glands of the bronchi with
those observed in the salivary glands. Since then, pulmonary involvement
in primary Sjogren’s syndrome, has been the subject of various studies
and several pulmonary complications have been described, including
bronchial and bronchiolar disease, interstitial pneumonitis, and
lymphoma. Although frequent and pleomorphic, pulmonary involvement is
rarely clinically severe. However, in the symptomatic patient with
significant functional and radiological abnormalities tissue diagnosis,
either by transbronchial or by open lung biopsy, is mandatory because of
the malignant potential of some lesions
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