2023 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 13-21
Objective: To examine the relationship between subjective symptoms and objective signs in patients who were underwent diagnostic testing for Sjögren’s Syndrome（SS）.
Methods: Clinical data of 87 patients suspected of having dry mouth by symptoms and/or physician’s observations, who visited our hospital from February 2017 to June 2021 and were underwent diagnostic testing for SS. Patients were classified according to each of 14 xerostomia-related questions into asymptomatic and symptomatic groups.
Results: The ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic did not differ between 49 of SS and 38 of non-SS in all the 14 questions. Sensitivity and specificity of salivary glands echogram scoring by Ariji method for SS diagnosis was 70.7% and 91.7%, respectively. That by Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials（OMERACT） method was 68.3% and 91.7%, respectively. In the half of 14 questions, the amount of salivary flow in the symptomatic group was significantly lower than those with the asymptomatic group. Some dryness symptoms（feeling dryness in mouth, difficulty talking for a long time, and pain sensation in mouth）were related with parotid-gland-echo scores.
Conclusion: Among various oral dryness symptoms, there existed some peculiar symptoms that reflected objective abnormalities.
