QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF DYSPHAGIA IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SJOGRENS-SYNDROME

Dysphagia is a common complaint from patients with salivary gland dysf unction. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare dysphagia in two patient groups with salivary gland dysfunction (primary Sjogre n's syndrome and secondary Sjogren's syndrome with systemic lupus eryt hematosus, and a matched control group. Subjects diagnosed with primar y Sjogren's syndrome (n = 13) and secondary Sjogren's with systemic lu pus erythematosus (n = 15) were selected for the study. An age- and se x-matched group of control subjects (n = 14) was selected for comparis on. Dysphagia assessments, including videofluoroscopy were performed. Dysphagia was quantified clinically and videofluoroscopically by measu rement of 10 seconds of basal or dry swallows as compared with 10-seco nd 10-ml water bolus swallows in all subjects. Subjective evaluations were recorded on a calibrated 10-cm visual analog scale. The results i ndicated a significant difference in the dry swallows as compared with the water bolus swallows for both salivary gland dysfunction groups a nd for both dry swallows and water bolus swallows as compared to contr ols. Videofluoroscopy yielded significantly prolonged pharyngeal trans it times in both salivary gland dysfunction groups as compared with co ntrol. Subjective results indicated a greater degree of dysphagia symp toms in both the salivary gland dysfunction groups (p < 0.001). Conclu sions from this study indicate clinically significant dysphagia in pat ients with salivary gland dysfunction associated with Sjogren's syndro me compared with a control population.