title: Prognostic factors for the clinical severity of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in patients with Sjogren's syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether prognostic immunological profiles predict the severity of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS).
  
  
  METHODS
  121 patients diagnosed with SS and followed for at least 1 year were enrolled in this study. Patients were allocated to either a mild KCS group (Mi-KCS; n=65) or to a moderate to severe KCS group (MS-KCS; n=56) based on the Oxford scheme and response to treatment. These groups were each sub-divided into two groups based on the clinical severity of KCS and the presence of associated rheumatic disease (primary SS vs secondary SS). Anti-Ro/anti-La antibody, rheumatoid factor and tear interleukin (IL)-17 levels and Schirmer test results were compared between each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-Ro/SSA antibody and anti-La/SSB antibody concentrations were significantly higher in the MS-KCS group than in the Mi-KCS group for total and primary SS. The presence of anti-La/SSB antibody was significantly higher in the MS-KCS than the Mi-KCS group for total and primary SS. The mean tear IL-17 concentration in the MS-KCS group was significantly higher than in the Mi-KCS group for both total SS and primary SS patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum anti-La/SSB antibody, serum anti-Ro/SSA antibody and tear IL-17 are likely to be strongly involved in the clinical severity of KCS in patients with primary SS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehang-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Kwon
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Mee Kum
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won Ryang
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Wee
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology; D007637:Keratoconjunctivitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011379:Prognosis; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D013666:Tears / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D020381:Interleukin-17; C035356:SS-A antibodies; C035357:SS-B antibodies; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor