Patient-reported outcomes including fatigue in primary Sjögren's syndrome

Abstract

The hallmark of Sjögren's syndrome is focal lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands leading to mucosal dryness, particularly of the eyes and mouth. In addition, approximately 70% of patients report fatigue as a particularly prominent and disabling feature associated with reduced health-related quality of life. Other key patient-reported extraglandular symptoms include arthralgia, myalgia, and Raynaud's phenomenon. This article reviews these patient-reported features, their relationships with objective assessment of the disease, potential therapies for these symptoms, and how measurements of these symptoms are relevant to outcome assessment in clinical therapeutic trials.