Role of salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies for diagnosing primary Sjogren’s syndrome

Abstract

The diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is complex, and the saliva test is a potential method to improve the existing diagnostic criteria. Objective: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), and to analyze their correlations with clinical and laboratory profiles. Study Design: This study enrolled 100 pSS patients and 140 non-pSS controls, including 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, 40 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and 60 healthy controls. Unstimulated whole saliva and stimulated parotid saliva samples were collected from the subjects. Salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical and laboratory data were retrieved from the medical records. Results: In the pSS group, the sensitivity of anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies in whole saliva was 49% and 29%, respectively, and the specificity was 87.5% and 95%. The sensitivity of anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies in parotid saliva was 32% and 8%, respectively, and the specificity was 95.52% and 97.86%, respectively. In the pSS group, the diagnostic accuracy of anti-SSA/B antibodies in whole saliva was significantly higher than in parotid saliva (p<0.05), but was significantly lower than in serum (p<0.05). The salivary flow rate in the pSS group positive for whole salivary anti-SSA was significantly lower than in the negative group (p<0.05). The prevalence of rheumatoid factor and antinuclear factor were significantly higher in salivary SSB-positive pSS patients than in SSB-negative patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: Compared to parotid saliva, whole saliva is a more suitable diagnostic fluid. Using salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies as a single test item is insufficient given the relatively low sensitivity. Further studies should investigate the possibility of combining tests for different salivary autoantibodies as a method for diagnosing pSS. Key words:Primary Sjögren’s syndrome, salivary diagnostics, anti-SSA autoantibodies, anti-SSB autoantibodies.

A-fodrinAutoantigen Detection in Saliva and on Salivary Ductal Cells in Sjögren Syndrome

“…This finding supports evidence from previous studies that the cleaved 120 kDa α-fodrinautoantigen detected in saliva is related to the level of apoptotic cell death and grade of disease in the salivary glands, and as such, this autoantigen, not the autoantibody, may be a useful marker of cell damage [5,7,8,10]. As expected, and shown by multiple previous studies, the autoantibodies against the cleaved α-fodrinfragment are of low diagnostic sensitivity, although, in support of our mechanistic immunologic hypothesis, all patients who produced a positive IgG or IgA autoantibody, also demonstrated the presence of the autoantigen in the salivary tissues by immunohistochemistry [19].…”

Spontaneous Model of Sjögren's Syndrome in NOD Mice

“…Lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands is usually accompanied by a production of anti-nuclear antibodies. Anti-SS-related antigen A (anti-SSA) and anti-SS-related antigen B (anti-SSB), autoantibodies to ribonucleoproteins SSA/Ro and SSB/La, are found in 33% to 74% and 23% to 52% of Sjögren's patients, respectively (Patel & Shahane, 2014;Wei et al, 2015). Moreover, serum levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF), a B cell-modulating factor that rescues B cells from apoptosis, are increased in association with increased autoantibody levels.…”

Discrepancy of Serological and Molecular Patterns of Circulating Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

“…Anti-Sjögren's syndrome A (anti-SSA/Ro) and B (anti-SSB/La) autoantibodies are the most specific anti-nuclear antibodies in pSS. The detection of these antibodies directed against ribonucleoproteins remains indispensable for the disease workup (5, 6). The presence of anti-SSA and anti-SSB autoantibodies is also associated with the disease severity, sicca symptoms, earlier onset and longer disease duration (7).…”