Evaluation of the severity of autonomous symptoms in patients with primary and secondary sjögren syndrome

Evaluation of the Severity of Autonomous Symptoms in Patients with Primary and Secondary Sjögren Syndrome INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In this study, autonomic dysfunction was evaluated in patients with primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome. Causes of autonomic dysfunction and their laboratory and clinical results were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with primary or secondary Sjögren's syndrome who applied to the Department of Rheumatology of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital between January 2018 and April 2022 and were diagnosed with sjögren's syndrome and were 18 years or older at the time of diagnosis were included in this study. Mixed autonomic symptom scale score questionnaire COMPASS-31 was used to evaluate autonomic dysfunction. The relationship between the patients' clinic, biochemical and microbiological parameters in the blood and the COMPASS-31 score was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean COMPASS score was 27.1 in primary sjögren's and 28 in secondary sjögren's syndrome, and there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in terms of autonomic dysfunction severity. In our study, the relationship between the effect value of the rheumatoid factor in the COMPASS-31 scale and the level of autonomic dysfunction in Sjögren's syndrome was investigated, and no significant difference (p>0.05) was found between the groups. In the patients followed up with primary sjögren's, the leukocyte and thrombocyte levels in the COMPASS >25 group were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) when compared to the patients with COMPASS>25. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) for the rate of hydroxychloroquine use between Compass <25 and Compass >25 groups in patients followed up with primary sjogren's. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in the severity of autonomic dysfunction according to COMPASS-31 symptom scoring in the evaluation of patients with primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome. The level of rheumatoid factor has not been found to be a guide for the follow-up of autonomic dysfunction and the evaluation of its severity in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Elevation of platelet and leukocyte levels has been observed to exacerbate autonomic dysfunction in patients with primary sjögren's syndrome. It was found that the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment did not change the severity of autonomic dysfunction. Keywords: Compass 31 test, autonomic dysfunction, sjogren's syndrome