Analysis of Clinical Factors Associated with Retinal Morphological Changes in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate clinical factors associated with abnormal retinal morphologies in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).


METHODS
One-hundred-thirty patients with pSS who underwent immunoserological tests, minor salivary gland biopsies, and optical coherence tomography examinations were retrospectively analyzed. Risk factors for abnormally reduced peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thicknesses were evaluated, as well as the correlation between clinical factors and pRNFL and mGCIPL thicknesses.


RESULTS
Anti-Sjögren's syndrome type B (SSB) antibody positivity (P = 0.048) was identified as a risk factor associated with abnormally reduced pRNFL thickness, and anti-SSB positivity (P = 0.005) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) level (P = 0.031) were identified as risk factors associated with an abnormally reduced mGCIPL thickness as revealed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. There was a significant negative correlation between anti-SSB antibody levels and the thickness of pRNFL and mGCIPL. The thicknesses of pRNFL and mGCIPL were significantly reduced in anti-SSB-positive eyes when compared to anti-SSB-negative eyes (P < 0.05). However, histopathologic grading was not associated with the pRNFL and mGCIPL thicknesses.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-SSB antibody positivity and ESR levels may be useful for predicting an abnormally reduced pRNFL or mGCIPL thickness in patients with pSS. Our results may provide clinical evidence to substantiate the association between aberrant autoimmunity and inner retinal changes in patients with pSS.
Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.|Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Jee Myung
JM
Yang
Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Mi Sun
MS
Sung
Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Yong Sok
YS
Ji
Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Hwan
H
Heo
Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.|Center for Creative Biomedical Scientists at Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Sang Woo
SW
Park
D000328:Adult; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*