Atzeni F et al. – Only a minority of primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) patients are cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) positive, which seems to be closely associated with the prevalence of synovitis. Anti-CCP positivity in pSS patients may therefore be a predictor of future progress to RA, or an expression of the inflammatory process of synovial tissue. Methods
Aim was to investigate the prevalence of anti-CCP antibodies in pts with primary (pSS), and their correlations with clinical and laboratory data
Clinical and serological data of 155 consecutive pts was analyzed
Among these, 14 were excluded due to ACR criteria for RA
141 pts (27 males and 114 females; mean age 48 yrs) were clinically assessed for the presence of synovitis and extra-glandular involvement
The anti-CCP antibodies were tested using ELISA; IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) was determined by nephelometry
Results
9.9% of pts had moderate to high level anti-CCP levels, and 66.7% were positive for RF
57.4% showed extra-glandular involvement, and 31.2% had synovitis w/o any radiographic signs of erosion
There was a close correlation between the presence of anti-CCP and synovitis, but no association between anti-CCP and extra-glandular involvement
Association between anti-CCP and an increased prevalence of synovitis was observed
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