Objective To study the prevalence of extra-glandular manifestations (EGM) in primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS) among participants enrolled in the Sjögren’s International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA) registry. Methods 1927 participants in the SICCA registry were studied, including 886 participants who met the 2002 American-European consensus group (AECG) criteria for pSS, 830 “intermediate” cases who had some objective findings of pSS but did not meet AECG criteria, and 211 control individuals. We studied the prevalence of immunologic and hematologic laboratory abnormalities; specific rheumatologic examination findings; and physician confirmed thyroid, liver, kidney disease and lymphoma among SICCA participants. Results Laboratory abnormalities, including hematologic abnormalities, hypergammaglobulinemia and hypocomplementemia, frequently occurred among pSS cases, and were more common among the intermediate cases than among control participants. Cutaneous vasculitis and lymphadenopathy were also more common among pSS cases. In contrast, the frequency of physician confirmed diagnoses of thyroid, liver and kidney disease, and lymphoma was low and only primary biliary cirrhosis was associated with pSS cases status. Rheumatologic and neurologic symptoms were common among all SICCA participants, regardless of case status. Conclusions Data from the international SICCA registry support the systemic nature of pSS, manifest primarily in terms of specific immunologic and hematologic abnormalities. The occurrence of other systemic disorders among this cohort is relatively uncommon. Previously reported associations may be more specific to select patient subgroups, such as those referred for evaluation of certain neurologic, rheumatologic or other systemic manifestations.

No abstract