Sjogren's syndrome in association with Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease has many autoimmune extraintestinal manifestations, such as arthritis, polymyositis, and erythema nodosum. However, an association between Crohn's disease and Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease, has rarely been reported. We describe the fourth case of Sjogren's syndrome in association with Crohn's disease. The patient is a 43-year-old African-American female diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1981. Twenty years later, she developed abdominal pain, arthralgias, and sicca symptoms. Further evaluation led to a diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome. Sjogren's syndrome should be considered in patients with underlying Crohn's disease who develop a constellation of constitutional, joint, and sicca symptoms.