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Endothelial dysfunction in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Timur Pirildar1, Canan Tikiz, Sabriye Ozkaya
1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Medical Faculty, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. tpirildar@hotmail.com
Rheumatology International
|June 21, 2005
Summary
Endothelial dysfunction, a key indicator of vascular health, is impaired in patients with primary Sjögren
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
Background:
- Primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease primarily affecting exocrine glands.
- Endothelial dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in autoimmune diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess endothelial function in patients with primary SS.
- To investigate the correlation between endothelial dysfunction and clinical manifestations in SS.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution ultrasound was used to measure endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation of the brachial artery.
- The study included 25 patients with primary SS and 29 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Patients with primary SS exhibited significantly impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation compared to controls (p = 0.012).
- No significant difference was observed in endothelium-independent vasodilation between groups (p = 0.86).
- Impaired vasodilation was particularly noted in SS patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.
Conclusions:
- Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in primary SS.
- This endothelial dysfunction is not associated with specific autoantibodies (RF, ANA, anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-La/SS-B) or other extraglandular manifestations.
- Raynaud's phenomenon may be linked to endothelial impairment in SS.