History of Infection Linked to Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome

To further investigate the role infection may play in a patient developing pSS, Dr. Wahren-Herlenius and her colleagues plan to follow up on the difference in autoantibody positive and negative patients in register-based epidemiologic studies. They will also use experimental models to understand how infections may trigger rheumatic disease in genetically susceptible strains.

Carina Stanton is a freelance science journalist based in Denver.

References

1. Johannes Mofors J, Arkema EV, Björk A. Infections increase the risk of developing Sjögren’s syndrome. J Intern Med. 2019 Mar 20. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Chao WC, Lin CH, Liao TL, et al. Association between a history of mycobacterial infection and the risk of newly diagnosed Sjögren’s syndrome: A nationwide, population-based case-control study. PLoS One. 2017 May 9;12(5):e0176549
3. Nakamura H, Kawakami A. What is the evidence for Sjögren’s syndrome being triggered by viral infection? Subplot:infections that cause clinical features of Sjögren’s syndrome. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2016 Jul;28(4):390–397.
4. Igoe A, Scofield RH. Autoimmunity and infection in Sjögren’s syndrome. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2013 Jul;25(4):480–487.