A Case of Cheilitis Associated with Sjögren’s Syndrome

Abstract

Cheilitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the lips caused by various endogenous and exogenous factors. We report a case of cheilitis that was found to be accompanied by Sjögren’s syndrome during the course of examination. The patient was a 73-year-old woman who complained of lip discomfort. Erosion with epithelial peeling, desquamation, and bleeding was observed on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower lips and on both buccal mucosae near the corners of the mouth. Although the initial diagnosis was cheilitis, Sjögren’s syndrome was diagnosed upon consultation at the medical school. The cheilitis was unresponsive to cevimeline hydrochloride monotherapy at the medical school, but improvement was observed with long-term local symptomatic treatment at our department. In this case, although the cheilitis was thought to be a related symptom of Sjögren’s syndrome, the course suggested that individual patient management is also important.