[The cytological findings in decreased tear production in patients with Sjögren's disease and syndrome].

Scrapings off the inferior conjunctival plica were studied in 15 patients with Sjogren's disease and 15 ones with Sjogren's syndrome. The cytology of the conjunctiva in patients with Sjogren's disease or syndrome reliably differed from that in normal subjects. Irrespective of the form and stage of the underlying disease, changes in the conjunctival epithelium of patients with dry kerato-conjunctivitis reflected the processes of squamous-cell metaplasia with loss of goblet cells. Five variants of the cytologic picture of involved conjunctival epithelium are distinguished. The authors come to a conclusion about the efficacy of cytologic studies in a complex of examinations of patients with Sjogren's disease and syndrome.