[Correlation between scleroderma and Sjogren's syndrome. Value of systematic biopsy of the labial salivary glands]

Thirty one patients with generalised scleroderma underwent labial biopsy. Sixteen showed a nodular infiltration of the accessory salivary glands indicative of Sjögren's syndrome. In 21, intralobular fibrosis was present. More common in those forms with extensive cutaneous involvement, collagenous fibrosis would appear to be a direct manifestation of scleroderma. The frequency of these abnormalities poses the problem of immunological competence with respect to lymphocytic labial infiltrates in generalised scleroderma.