Ranula as an early symptom of Sjögren’s syndrome

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: 
 Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting exocrine glands, mainly salivary glands. A ranula is a type of retention cyst associated with salivary extravasation that develops within the large salivary glands. The most common reason of developing ranula is trauma of bottom of the oral cavity. Damaging the sublingual gland, due to changes in Sjögren’s syndrome, may lead to the development of ranula. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible impact of ranulas on early diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.
 Material and method:
 This review was based on articles collected in PubMed and published in the years 2003-2021 and books from 2009 and 2018. Articles were chosen using keywords such as "Sjögren's syndrome", "ranula", “mucocele” and "early diagnosis".
 Results:
 Ranulas are considered to be early clinical signs of Sjögren's syndrome. Undergoing diagnostic imaging in patients with ranulas allows to diagnose Sjögren's syndrome in early stage and implement appropriate therapy.
 Conclusion:
 Identification of ranula should suggest implementation of diagnostics of Sjögren's syndrome using imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasonography. Early diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome is crucial to start the adequate treatment and get better results. It is recommended to include imaging tests in the diagnostic criteria of adolescent and adult SS in order to facilitate the diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease.