ABSTRACT
Sjögren’s syndrome is the second most common connective tissue disease overall and affects virtually every population or racial group studied (1). It is characterized by progressive destruction and/or a functional defect (2) of exocrine glands by infiltration of inflammatory mononuclear cells in to the salivary and lacrimal glands leading to the classic symptoms of dry mouth and eyes. The triad of dry mouth (xerostomia), dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), and a connective tissue disease, usually rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is termed secondary Sjögren’s syndrome. In the absence of a connective tissue disease the designation primary Sjögren’s syndrome (or sicca syndrome) is used. Furthermore, patients frequently have autoantibodies to intracellular ribonucleoproteins, La/SS-B and/or Ro/SS-A and rheumatoid factor (RF) (1).
