Skip Navigation


Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on May 11, 2009
Rheumatology 2009 48(7):796-799; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kep104
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
48/7/796    most recent
kep104v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rihl, M.
Right arrow Articles by Witte, T.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rihl, M.
Right arrow Articles by Witte, T.
Related Collections
Right arrow Sjogren's Syndrome
Right arrow Pharmacology
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Treatment of sicca symptoms with hydroxychloroquine in patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Markus Rihl1, Kai Ulbricht1, Reinhold E. Schmidt1 and Torsten Witte1

1Clinic for Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany.

Correspondence to: Markus Rihl, Clinic for Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. E-mail: rihl.markus{at}mh-hannover.de


  Abstract

Objective. There is no established disease-modifying treatment of xerostomia and xerophthalmia in SS. This retrospective study was performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of HCQ for glandular function, i.e. saliva and tear production.

Methods. Fourteen patients with primary SS (pSS) were included (Group A). All patients were anti-Ro and/or -La antibody positive except one. Patients were treated with HCQ for a period of up to 6 months. Glandular function was determined by Saxon's and Schirmer's tests for the dominant eye at baseline and at the end of the treatment. We included a control group of 21 patients with objective sicca symptoms and positive {alpha}-fodrin antibodies (Group B).

Results. In patients with pSS (Group A), a significant increase in saliva production after HCQ treatment (P = 0.022) was observed. A subanalysis revealed that particularly the {alpha}-fodrin-positive patients responded to HCQ (P = 0.017 {alpha}-fodrin positive vs P = 0.4 {alpha}-fodrin negative). Interestingly, patients with sicca symptoms and {alpha}-fodrin antibodies (Group B) showed a significant increase in tear production (P = 0.001). In addition, there was a positive correlation between the {alpha}-fodrin IgA antibody concentration and the Schirmer's test at baseline (r = 0.66; P = 0.001) and after treatment (r = 0.6; P = 0.004) in this group.

Conclusions. HCQ treatment led to a beneficial effect on xerostomia in patients with pSS who lack severe organ manifestations. The response was greater in {alpha}-fodrin-positive patients.

KEY WORDS: Sjögren's syndrome, Sicca symptoms, Hydroxychloroquine, {alpha}-Fodrin

Submitted 6 February 2009; Accepted 30 March 2009


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.