Clinical Review of Sjögren’s Syndrome: Pahogenesis and Management 2005

Abstract

Recent advances in the pathogenesis and management of Sjögren’s syndrome were summarized. Major topics are the 1999 revised diagnostic criteria for Japanese patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, newly described pathomechanisms, and cutaneous manifestations of Sjögren’s syndrome. Recent topics on cutaneous lymphoma, QOL in postmenopausal female patients, mechanisms on photosensitivity, and hypoidrosis seen in Sjögren’s syndrome were described. On the management of Sjögren’s syndrome, the clinical effects of a newly marketed muscarine receptor agonist on sicca symptoms were briefly summarized. Because Sjögren’s syndrome is a relatively underestimated collagen disease in contrast to SLE, systemic sclerosis, and dermatomyositis, special care is needed not to misdiagnose Sjögren’s syndrome when we see patients with common skin diseases such as drug eruptions, infectious skin diseases or xerosis in daily practice.