Sjögren’s Syndrome and Cardiovascular Disease Risk?

Results from a study called Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome were presented at the 2015 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, and the abstract was published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. This study evaluated the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with a female predominance.

Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome experience dryness of the eyes and mouth, and the disease can also impact additional organs, including the joints, lungs, and gastrointestinal system. Sjögren’s Syndrome is also accompanied by other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Some studies have shown that patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome may also be at higher risk of developing other conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

At the 2015 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, Garcia et al. presented results from their analysis on the relationship between cardiovascular disease and Sjogren’s syndrome in 49 patients. They evaluated cardiovascular risk factors using several measures, including the Framingham score, exercise capacity, and cardiac ultrasound (imaging), among others. 

The Framingham score is used to predict the risk of developing heart disease over 10 years, and was developed as part of a very large study on cardiovascular disease; these risk factors include age, cholesterol, blood pressure, hypertension treatment, and smoking status. They also evaluated disease activity using the EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome disease activity index, or ESSDAI.

The researchers found a positive relationship between Framingham and ESSDAI scores, indicating that patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome with high disease activity are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease. While these results must be confirmed in larger studies, clinicians treating patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome should be aware of their potential risk of developing cardiovascular disease and manage them appropriately. 

Citation:

Garcia A, Trevisani V, Dardin L, et al. AB0547 Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015;74:1082-1083.