Clinical targeted treatment in Sjogren's disease: A systematic literature review for an evidence-based medicine approach

Abstract

Sjögren's disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the exocrine glands, causing the main symptoms of xerostomia and xerophthalmia. In about half of the patients, it also causes systemic symptoms, which can potentially involve any organ or system. To date, the management of these patients is particularly complex due to the lack of recognized and approved therapies for the disease, except for medications used as symptomatic treatment for dryness. Due to the limited evidence available, therapeutic decisions in daily practice are frequently based on a combination of expert opinions and personal experience, which can vary significantly between clinicians. On these bases, we performed as systematic literature review critically analyzing the results of the previous trials, unpacking the single domains of ESSDAI, to evaluate if there are treatments significantly effective in some manifestations of the disease.

Keywords: Disease activity; ESSDAI; Sjogren's disease; Treatment efficacy.