Table of Contents   This Chapter   All Chapters

SJÖGREN SYNDROME

This condition is not usually the province of the dermatologist but may cause skin lesions, and is discussed here, as it occurs secondary to LE and other collagen vascular diseases as well as occurring as an isolated entity. There may be differences between these primary and secondary forms; for example, a relatively new autoantibody, anti-a-fodrin, is much more commonly found in the primary than in the secondary form, and is especially associated with perniosis. More commonly tested autoantibodies that may be positive in Sjögren syndrome include anti-SSA (in about 50%), anti-SSB (25%), and less commonly some of the anti-tRNA synthetases.

    Skin lesions in Sjögren syndrome occur in a minority, and seem to have a predilection for Japanese patients; the lesions are typically annular and on the face.

White/Cox: Diseases of the Skin, 2ed.(c) 2006, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.