シェーグレン病および口腔乾燥症に対する薬物療法

L-システインエチル塩酸塩による検討

抄録

Twenty oral xerosis patients who visited us were treated by L-cysteine ethylester hydrochloride. The following conclusions were obtained.
1) Ten out of the 20 patients had Sjögren's disease, and the other ten were xerostomia, diagnosed by parotid sialography, labial salivary gland biopsy, salivary gland scintigraphy, measurements of salivary secretion and immuno-serological examinations of the peripheral blood.
2) Scores of both subjective and objective symptoms showed a decreasing trend after treatment. Improvement of each symptoms was greater in patients with xerostomia compared to Sjögren's disease patients.
3) The amount of salivary secretion increased significantly after treatment.
4) Two patients, whose clinical symptoms were relieved markedly, showed much improvement in salivary gland scintigraphy by comparing time-activity curves before and after administration. Both the maximum accumulation ratio and the maximum secretion ratio increased on the time-activity curve.
5) The results of general hematology, serum biochemistry and immuno-serology did not change significantly before and after administration. However, the content of saliva-originated serum amylase in blood decreased in ten of eleven patients after treatment.
6) The global improvement rate was markedly improved in 2 cases, improved in 5 cases, slightly improved in 9 cases and no change in 4 cases. The improvement rate over slightly improved was 90% in xerostomia, 70% in Sjögren's disease and 80% in the total cases.