[The natural course of primary Sjögren's syndrome (a clinical study)].

In this work the authors analyzed the clinical course and diagnostic procedures of 104 patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS): 57 patients diagnosed and followed-up at Ioannina University and 47 similar patients treated at the National Institute of Health (USA). Both studies have shown that pSS is predominantly a female disease with a latent period of 6-8 yrs from the time of the first symptom to the time of final diagnosis. Although the syndrome begins almost exclusively with glandular manifestations (xerostomia, xerophthalmia or parotid gland enlargement), in a respectable percentage of patients it eventually progresses to extraglandular involvement. pSS can be potentially complicated by benign (pseudolymphoma) or malignant (lymphoma) lymphoproliferative disorders.