Peripheral neuropathy in primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the clinical manifestations of primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome (pSS)with peripheral neuropathies.Methods Eighty-six patients who fulfilled the 2002 American-European Consensus Group criteria for pSS were enrolled in the study.For each patient,medical data,including clinical,laboratory,immunologic and electromyography data were collected and analyzed.The clinical manifestations of primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome were compared between patients with and without peripheral neuropathy.Statistical methods used were t-test,chi-square test and Logistic regression.Results Eighty-six patients were analyzed,and neurological involvement was noted in 26％ (22/86) patients.The clinical spectrum of peripheral neuropathies encountered in Sj(o)gren's syndrome patients was wide,with sensory neuropathies being the most common.Median nerve,peroneal nerve and sural nerve were the most likely involved,and lower limb involvement accounted for 73％ (16/22).Peripheral neuropathy was diagnosed during the Sj(o)gren's syndrome course in all patients,and about 45％ patients' neurological involvement were diagnosed early in the course of the disease.The frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon was significantly higher (32％ vs 5％,P=0.002) as well as acroanesthesia (68％ vs 5％,P＜0.01) in pSS with peripheral neurological involvement than in pSS without peripheral neuropathy.The median values of EULAR Sj(o)gren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) were 5.3 (range 2.8-7.8) and 3.4 (range 1.5-5.3) in the PNS and non-PNS groups respectively (P＜0.01).We found a significant rise of peripheral neuropathy risk associated with Raynaud's phenomenon (relative risk 9.489,95％CI 2.191-41.093,P=0.003) and ESSDAI (relative risk 1.528,95％CI 1.179-1.979,P=0.001).Elevated titers of rheumatoid factor (P=0.023) and ANA (P=0.003) were common in patients with peripheral neuropathy.Conclusion Peripheral neuropathy is not a rare manifestation of pSS.Neurological involvement can be diagnosed early in the course of the disease.Raynaud's phenomenon and high disease activity may be the risk factors for peripheral neuropathy.