Autopsy Cases with Sjögren's Syndrome

—Report of Two Cases and a Review of the Cases in Japan—

Abstract

Case 1 was 56-year-old female, who had been suffering fom Sjögren's syndrom (SjS) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and was treated conservatively. Autopsy revealed characteristic findings of major salivary glands in SjS, terminal stage of PBC and widespread miliary tuberculosis. Case 2 was a 35-year-old female, who had been suffering from SjS and SLE, and was received large dose of steroid drugs. Autopsy revealed marked atrophy of the salivary glands, diffuse lupus glomerulonephritis and systemic fungal infection.
Autopsy cases with SjS in Japan were reviewed from 1958 to 1978 which were published in the “Annual of the Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan”. There were 49 cases with SjS during this 21 years, being 44 female cases and 5 male cases. The mean age except 2 cases of suicide was 50.4 years. Collagen disease and/or autoimmune disease were found as a concomitance in many of the studied cases. The causes of death in cases with SjS were listed as systemic infection, respiratory disturbance, heart failure, liver dysfunction, etc.