title: Light microscopy of dried saliva in the evaluation of xerostomia of the sicca syndrome. A preliminary report.
abstract: Dried, freshly produced saliva from 21 patients with xerostomia related to the sicca syndrome [15 with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), 3 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and secondary Sjögren's syndrome (sSS), and 3 with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)] and 21 age and sex matched controls, was examined by light microscopy. A typical fern-like pattern was demonstrated by the crystallized mucus of the healthy individuals. In contrast, much thicker, shorter, irregular and densely arranged branches of crystallized mucus, sometimes giving a reindeer horn appearance, were observed in the patients' saliva. Given the lack of a reliable clinical measure for the objective evaluation of xerostomia, light salivary microscopy, simple and easy as it is, may fill this deficit, if its sensitivity and specificity are documented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Division of Rheumatology), Patras University, School of Medicine, Greece.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Andonopoulos
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Tzanakakis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christophidou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D003460:Crystallization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008853:Microscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012463:Saliva; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*