Abstract
Objective
Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that mainly affects the exocrine gland, especially in women. Currently, the results of studies on the menstruation or fertility of pSS patients remain controversial. This study aimed to examine the menstrual and reproductive characteristics of pSS patients.
Methods
Clinical data of 449 pSS patients who were admitted to Tongji Hospital in Hubei, China, from January 2015 to November 2021 were obtained and their menstrual and reproductive information analyzed. In addition, the clinical features of pSS patients with premenopausal or postmenopausal onset were compared.
Results
The spontaneous abortion rate of pSS patients was not higher than the reported rate of the general population and that the age of menarche, menstrual cycle, and menstrual period of pSS patients did not significantly differ from those reported in the general population; however, early menopause seemed to be more common in pSS patients. Skin involvement (27.96% vs. 15.00%, P=0.005) and hyperglobulinemia (10.64% vs. 4.16%, P=0.033) were more common in patients with premenopausal pSS onset, but patients with postmenopausal onset had a significantly greater incidence of interstitial lung disease (32.50% vs. 17.02%, P=0.0004). Also, erythropenia (47.00% vs. 31.25%, P=0.002), hypoalbuminemia (19.49% vs. 8.22%, P=0.0009), and prevalence of high hypersensitive C-reactive protein levels (21.67% vs. 10.94%, P=0.005) were more common in pSS patients with postmenopausal onset. Notably, the rate of abnormal pregnancy was significantly greater in patients with premenopausal onset (9.72% vs. 2.50%, P=0.011).
Conclusion
Patients with pSS onset before or after menopause may have different risks in pulmonary involvement and laboratory manifestations.
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Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to all the staff working in the Department of Medical Records of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, for their help in this study.
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The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Author Ling-li DONG is a member of the Editorial Board for [Current Medical Science]. The paper was handled by other editors and has undergone rigorous peer review process. Author Ling-li DONG was not involved in the journal’s review of, or decisions related to, this manuscript.
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Zhu, Yz., Zhong, Jx. & Dong, Ll. Menstrual and Reproductive Characteristics of Patients with Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome: A 7-year Single-center Retrospective Study. CURR MED SCI 43, 139–145 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-022-2675-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-022-2675-4
Key words
- primary Sjogren’s syndrome
- menstruation
- fertility
- clinical features