title: Are there clinical or serological differences between male and female patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. It can be primary (pSS) or secondary (sSS) and is observed 90% more in women than in men, mainly in the fourth and fifth decades of life. We investigated the prevalence of serological and clinical manifestations in male and female patients with primary SS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 521 female and 28 male patients with pSS between 1993 and 2001. All patients fulfilled > or = 4 of the 1993 European Community Study Group criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men presented higher concentrations of IgA, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies than women. A higher percentage of women than men reported fibromyalgia, thyroidal manifestations, and carpal tunnel syndrome. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in relation to the presence of Raynaud's phenomenon, arthritis, erosive osteoarthritis, liver disease, or other visceral manifestations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pattern of SS in our cohort of patients reveals a difference between male and female patients, in contrast with earlier studies.
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Reumatologia, Departament de Medicina Interna, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Avenida San Antoni M. Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Díaz-López
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geli
authors.forename: Hèctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corominas
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malat
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diaz-Torner
authors.forename: Josep Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Llobet
authors.forename: Arturo Rodriguez
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: De La Serna
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laiz
authors.forename: Mireia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vázquez
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*