Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2020 Nov:219:40-48.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2020.05.043. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Ocular Manifestations and Burden Related to Sjögren Syndrome: Results of a Patient Survey

Ian J Saldanha  1 , Vatinee Y Bunya  2 , Sara S McCoy  3 , Matthew Makara  4 , Alan N Baer  5 , Esen K Akpek  6
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Ocular Manifestations and Burden Related to Sjögren Syndrome: Results of a Patient Survey

Ian J Saldanha et al. Am J Ophthalmol. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the burden related to dry eye with systemic symptoms of Sjögren syndrome; to estimate the burden related to ocular treatments; and to compare the impact of dry eye and extraocular manifestations of Sjögren syndrome on various aspects of patient life.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: We conducted a postal survey of adult patients with a history of physician-diagnosed Sjögren syndrome.

Results: The survey was completed by 2,961 patients (mean age 65.1 years, standard deviation 11.7 years), most of whom were women (96%) and white (94%). Forty-one patients younger than 18 years of age were excluded. More than half (53%) experienced severe dry eye (ie, dry eye daily/almost daily with major impact on their life). Corresponding proportions for dry mouth and fatigue were 48% and 45%, respectively. Almost all patients (97%) had used nonprescription eye drops/artificial tears/ointments. Compared with patients who did not experience dry eye, those who experienced significant dry eye (ie, daily/almost daily dry eye) more often agreed that living with Sjögren syndrome made every day a challenge (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.49 to 5.86) and added a significant emotional burden (adjusted OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.49 to 3.31). Adjusted ORs for the impact of dry eye were generally lower than those for fatigue, but were similar to dry mouth and considerably higher than use of systemic treatments for serious manifestations of the disease and diagnosis of lymphoma.

Conclusions: Sjögren-related dry eye is more burdensome than systemic manifestations of the disease. While fatigue has the greatest impact on patient life, the impact of dry eye is comparable to that of other systemic manifestations.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Helmick CG, Felson DT, Lawrence RC, et al. Estimates of the prevalence of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States. Part I. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;58(1):15–25. - PubMed
    1. Akpek EK, Bunya VY, Saldanha IJ. Sjogren’s Syndrome: More Than Just Dry Eye. Cornea. 2019;38(5):658–661. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Seror R, Bowman SJ, Brito-Zeron P, et al. EULAR Sjogren’s syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI): a user guide. RMD open. 2015;1(1):e000022. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Seror R, Ravaud P, Mariette X, et al. EULAR Sjogren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI): development of a consensus patient index for primary Sjogren’s syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011;70(6):968–972. - PubMed
    1. Bunya VY, Fernandez KB, Ying GS, et al. Survey of Ophthalmologists Regarding Practice Patterns for Dry Eye and Sjogren Syndrome. Eye Contact Lens. 2018;44 Suppl 2:S196–s201. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types