title: The clinical picture of benign lympho-epithelial lesion.
abstract: The histopathological diagnosis 'benign lympho-epithelial lesion' characterizes the major salivary gland disease in Sjögren's syndrome. It is not known if all cases with microscopically diagnosed benign lympho-epithelial lesion are variants of Sjögren's syndrome. The present clinical investigation showed that in 19 patients with the microscopical diagnosis of lympho-epithelial lesion, 84% fulfilled all criteria of Sjögren's syndrome. The rheumatoid factor and/or antinuclear factor was found in 84% and M-component was present in 16%. Sialography revealed sialectasis in all parotid glands. Salivary gland enlargement was found in 79%, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca in 89% of the patients. Systemic disease was found in 32%. The disease in the 2 patients with M-component took a malignant course, culminating in immunoblastic sarcoma and myelomatosis. The clinical diagnosis 'autoimmune sialadenitis' is proposed for the oral and salivary gland component is Sjögren's syndrome.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012466:Salivary Gland Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012793:Sialadenitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*