Objectives

1. To evaluate the prevalence of uveitis, SS and Sicca syndrome (SicS) in patients with AS.

2. To analise the epidemiological data (Sex, age and presence of HLA B27).

Methods We included 86 patients with AS, 61 men (70.9%) and 25 women (29.1%), mean age was 48.6 ± 11.8 years (range 22 -71). The disease onset had occurred at 27.4 ± 9.2 years (range 6–53). The diagnosis of SS was made according to European Criteria and all patients with SS had keratoconjuntivitis sicca.

Results Uveitis was present in 30 patients (34.9%), SS in 8 patients (9.3%) and HLA-B27 + in 63 patients (73.3%).

In the group of female patients (25) we found: 22 (88%) HLA-B27 +, 10 (40%) with uveitis, 8 (32%) with SicS and 1 (4%) with SS. In the group of male patients (61) we found: 41 (67.2%) HLA-B27 +, 20 (32.8%) with uveitis, 12 (19.7%) with SicS and 7 (11.5%) with SS.

In the group of HLA-B27 + patients (62 we found: 26 (41.9%) with uveitis and 6 (9.7%) with SS. In the group of HLA-B27 negative patients (24) we found: 4 (16.7%) with uveitis and 2 (8.3%) with SS.

Conclusion

1. The prevalence of HLA-B27 was lower than in literature.

2. HLA-B27 was more prevalente in female.

3. The frequence of uveitis was higher in the HLA-B27 positive patients.

4. We find a high prevalence of SS in male.

References

1. Brito A, Figueirinhas J, Ramos M, et al. Sindroma de Sjögren. Acta Médica Port. 1994;7:565–76

2. Vaz Patto J, Figueirinhas J, Gil Forte J, et al. Sjögren’s syndrome associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis. V International Symposium on Sjögren’s Syndrome, Noordwijkerhout, 1995. Clin Rheum. 1995;14(Suppl 1):53

3. Figueirinhas J, Gil Forte J, Vaz Patto J, et al. Immunogenetics of Sjögren’s syndrome in Portuguese patients. First International Symposium on Occular Immunology and Inflammation, Amsterdam, 1998. Occul Immunol Inflamm. 1998;6(Suppl):68