Sjögren's syndrome patients presenting with hypergammaglobulinemia are relatively unresponsive to cevimeline treatment.
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by sicca symptoms, including dry eyes and dry mouth. Cevimeline is used for the treatment of dry mouth in patients with SS. Here we prospectively tested the clinical effectiveness of cevimeline at increasing saliva secretion in patients with SS, and the results were compared with the clinical parameters of the patients. Saliva secretion was increased >160% in 17 of 30 (56.7%) patients (P < 0.005). When the clinical parameters were compared between the patients who responded to cevimeline treatment and those who did not respond to the treatment, the frequency of patients presenting with hypergammaglobulinemia was significantly higher in the nonresponder group (P < 0.05). It thus appears that cevimeline is effective in SS patients with milder disease activity.
Komai
Koichiro
K
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine and Biophysics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe 654-0142, Japan.
Shiozawa
Kazuko
K
Tanaka
Yasushi
Y
Yoshihara
Ryosuke
R
Tanaka
Chihiro
C
Sakai
Hideo
H
Yamane
Takashi
T
Murata
Miki
M
Tsumiyama
Ken
K
Hashiramoto
Akira
A
Shiozawa
Shunichi
S
D012634:Bodily Secretions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004351:Drug Resistance; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011812:Quinuclidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D011812:Quinuclidines; D013876:Thiophenes; C059240:cevimeline