Atypical erosive osteoarthritis and Sjögren's syndrome

An unusual, destructive form of erosive hand arthropathy is described in five postmenopausal women. Although early clinical and radiological findings were most in keeping with a diagnosis of erosive osteoarthritis (EOA), hand involvement progressed to a distribution intermediate between EOA and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although asymptomatic, all patients had features of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), including keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) and lymphocytic foci in labial biopsy specimens. These cases, which are clinically unlike either RA or EOA, may represent a unique arthropathy associated with sicca features.