THE SJOGREN-MIKULICZ SYNDROME-Its Relationship to Connective Tissue Disorders

Sjögren-Mikulicz syndrome, formerly thought rare, is recognized with increasing frequency, especially in middle-aged and elderly women. Often in the past, because of the peculiar swelling of the parotid gland which is a feature of the disease, the gland was removed on suspicion of cancer. New tests can identify cases in which the swelling is a part of the Sjögren-Mikulicz syndrome. In those cases the enlargement may disappear spontaneously or after treatment with corticosteroids. The tests consist chiefly of examining both the quality and the quantity of tears secreted; and in some cases biopsy of the gland may be necessary. The syndrome appears so often together with rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases as to give indication that it may be related etiologically. The cause is unknown. One possibility is that the patients form antibodies to their own glandular products, which destroy those products.