Cardiovascular Involvement in Sjögren’s Syndrome

Abstract

Sjögren Syndrome (SS) seems to be associated with a greater “overall risk” of cardiovascular (CV) and cerebrovascular events. Although not conventionally considered a feature of the disease, CV events represent a major burden in SS patients. CV risk is the consequence of a complex combination of multiple factors, including traditional risk factors and disease-related mechanisms. A complex relationships between disease-related features, endothelial dysfunction and traditional risk factor has been suggested. Several drugs are available for treating the systemic manifestations of SS, however they have shown positive effects on different outcomes of the disease, but until today the data on the role of these drugs on CV events are scarse. Given these data, the aim of this review was to evaluate the risk of CV risk in primary SS and the effect of the drugs on this manifestation.

Oral-systemic immune axis: Crosstalk controlling health and disease

“…Also, over the years there have been numerous reports of oral inflammatory diseases exerting negative effects on other systems in the body, such as cardiovascular and nervous systems. Further, oral inflammatory diseases were found to increase a severity of obesity, kidney diseases, and Type 2 diabetes (2)(3)(4)(5)(6). These associations are bi-directional, as systemic inflammatory conditions often exacerbate oral diseases (7,8).…”

Síndrome de Sjögren: um Diagnóstico Diferencial de Polirradiculopatia Desmielinizante Inflamatória Crônica

“…6,7 Sugere-se que a disfunção endotelial e vasculite induzidas pela SS estejam www.revistacientifica.hospitalsantaizabel.org.br Maia, HAS; Pereira, GA; Filho, Batista, JC; Cavalcante, VM associadas ao aparente maior risco de eventos cerebrovasculares, apesar de controverso. 8 O quadro cutâneo da SS, como no caso, expressa-se, comumente, através de xerose cutânea significativa, presente em até 72% dos pacientes, principalmente em membros inferiores, além de Fenômeno de Raynaud e alterações vasculíticas, como púrpuras palpáveis, que também podem estar presentes. 9 Para diagnóstico formal da SS, é necessária documentação de comprometimento glandular, seja através de infiltração linfocítica em biópsia de glândula salivar, ou por meio de testes para avaliação da hipofunção das glândulas, como o Teste de Schirmer, realizado no caso relatado, ou ainda avaliação objetiva de escores de síndrome seca (SICCA) por oftalmologista com coloração por fluoresceína e verde lissamina.…”

Endothelial Dysfunction in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Correlation with Serum Biomarkers of Disease Activity

“…Atherosclerosis is a multifaceted process, which begins early in life, having a subclinical evolution, while the manifestations appear later in life. The presence of lymphocytes and macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques indicates that the immune system is involved in pathogenesis of this condition [ 17 ]. Atherosclerosis associated with rheumatic inflammatory diseases is considered to be the result of interactions between the traditional cardiovascular risk factors, chronic inflammation, immunological abnormalities, and some drug therapies that damage the vascular endothelium [ 18 ].…”

“…Atherogenesis is a continuous process, developed over several years. During its evolution, endothelial dysfunction represents the first step [ 17 ]. Endothelial dysfunction is evaluated by means of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery [ 20 ].…”