Lipid Changes Detected in Sjogren's Syndrome

Total cholesterol, HDL inversely correlated with disease activity

FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Sjogren's syndrome have altered levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol that may be related to disease activity, according to a report in the April issue of Rheumatology.

Beatrijs M. Lodde, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues examined serum lipid levels, including total cholesterol, HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides, in 46 patients with Sjogren's syndrome and compared them to lipid levels in 12 xerostomic controls.

HDL and total cholesterol levels were lower in Sjogren's patients than in controls, but not LDL and triglycerides levels. Total cholesterol and HDL were also found to be inversely correlated with disease activity, as measured by immunoglobulin G levels.

Serum lipid changes have been detected in other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, the authors note. "These results are comparable with earlier findings in rheumatoid arthritis," they add. "Since decreased cholesterol levels tended to predict cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis, the finding of an altered lipid profile in Sjogren's syndrome raises questions about the potential for adverse cardiovascular consequences in this disease."

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