Sjögren's syndrome: diagnosis and therapeutic challenges in the elderly

Drugs & Aging
Kristine P Ng, David A Isenberg

Abstract

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia as a result of lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal and salivary glands. Extra-glandular manifestations occur in about one-third of patients with SS. The diagnosis of SS in the geriatric population is not straightforward and consideration needs to be given to exclusion of other conditions that may have similar presenting symptoms. The presence of autoantibodies, in particular anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies, may aid in the diagnosis of SS. Salivary gland biopsy findings represent one of the objective criteria included in the widely accepted American-European classification diagnostic criteria. However, SS-like histological changes can also be present in the healthy elderly, adding to the dilemma in diagnosing this condition in the geriatric population. Management of SS involves local treatment of dry eyes and mouth with replacement and stimulation therapies. Patients with more serious systemic involvement may require immunosuppressive therapy. Medications that are routinely used in the treatment of patients with SS often have limited use in the elderly population because patients in the latter group ma...Continue Reading

References

Sep 17, 2002·BMC Gastroenterology·Mariana J Kaplan, Robert W Ike
Feb 24, 2006·Rheumatology·M N LazarusD A Isenberg
Jul 25, 2006·Arthritis Research & Therapy·Serge D SteinfeldOlivier Pradier
Aug 18, 2006·Clinical Rheumatology·Mehmet Soy, Süleyman Piskin
Mar 8, 2007·Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics : the Official Journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics·Samin HongKyoung Yul Seo

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 1, 2011·Clinical and Translational Allergy·Glenis ScaddingCornelius van Drunen
Jan 24, 2013·Drugs & Aging·Rada V MoermanArjan Vissink

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cell Aging (Keystone)

This feed focuses on cellular aging with emphasis on the mitochondria, autophagy, and metabolic processes associated with aging and longevity. Here is the latest research on cell aging.