Estimating the prevalence among Caucasian women of primary Sjögren's syndrome in two general practices in Birmingham, UK.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the prevalence among women of primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) in Birmingham, UK.


METHODS
Eight hundred and forty-six female Caucasians from two general practitioner lists were invited to complete a questionnaire that included a screening question on dry eyes and mouth. Individuals who responded positively were evaluated further.


RESULTS
Overall, 65/% of individuals who were sent a questionnaire responded. Two had possible PSS, but were negative for anti-Ro/La antibodies. Our estimates of the prevalence of PSS ranged from < 0.1% up to 0.4%, depending on the assumptions used.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data support previous studies suggesting a prevalence of PSS in the community of 0.1-0.6% rather than those suggesting a higher figure.
Bowman
S J
SJ
Department of Rheumatology, University of Birmingham, Medical School, Edgbaston, UK. s.j.bowman@bham.ac.uk
Ibrahim
G H
GH
Holmes
G
G
Hamburger
J
J
Ainsworth
J R
JR
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population