Test results in patients with Sjögren's syndrome defined by the Japanese criteria

Abstract

We examined 123 patients (mean age, 63.4 years) with Sjögren's syndrome at Shimane Medical University Hospital from 1980 to 1988. According to the Japanese criteria for Sjögren's syndrome, there were 106 definite and 17 probable cases. Female patients were predominant (74.8% to 25.5%). Most patients reported dry eye symptoms and had positive results on the Schirmer's, rose-bengal, and fluorescein tests. Although most patients described dry mouth symptoms, not all showed positive sialogram results, lymphocytic infiltrate on minor salivary glands, decreased salivary secretion, and salivary gland swelling. Connective tissue diseases were present in 28 patients. Most patients had positive antinuclear antibody reactions. Most of our patients who were diagnosed as having Sjögren's syndrome by the Japanese criteria could not be classified as such by the California, Copenhagen, or Greek criteria.