The ACR-EULAR criteria are more likely to correctly diagnose cases of primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome, compared with other currently available criteria, but it may also record false positives.<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION<\/strong> <\/p>\n WHAT DID THE AUTHORS HOPE TO FIND?<\/strong> WHO WAS STUDIED?<\/strong> HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?<\/strong> WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY?<\/strong> ARE THESE FINDINGS NEW?<\/strong> WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY?<\/strong> WHAT DO THE AUTHORS PLAN ON DOING WITH THIS INFORMATION?<\/strong> WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?<\/strong> Disclaimer: This is a summary of a scientific article written by a medical professional (\u201cthe Original Article\u201d). Date prepared: December 2017 Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2017 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism. Medical professionals may print copies for their and their patients and students non commercial use. Other individuals may print a single copy for their personal, non commercial use. For other uses please contact our Rights and Licensing Team<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ACR-EULAR criteria are more likely to correctly diagnose cases of primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome, compared with other currently available criteria, but it may also record false positives. INTRODUCTION Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome (pronounced show-grans) is an immune disorder that affects the glands in the body that produce mucous fluids, such as saliva or tears. The main symptoms […]<\/p>\n
\nSj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome (pronounced show-grans) is an immune disorder that affects the glands in the body that produce mucous fluids, such as saliva or tears. The main symptoms are dry eyes or a dry mouth, but it can also cause other problems such as severe tiredness and muscle or joint pain. Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s affects more women than men,
\nand usually starts in middle age. People with Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s often also have a rheumatic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or Lupus. This is called secondary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome. Primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome means that there is no other underlying rheumatic disease.
\nDifferent societies and medical bodies interested in Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s have come up with criteria that put people into certain categories for entry into clinical studies. These are called classification criteria, and they assess symptoms and findings that may also help to make a diagnosis or do scientific research.<\/p>\n
\nThe authors wanted to find out whether the 2016 ACR-EULAR classification criteria for primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome would be useful in Japanese people. ACR stands for the American College of Rheumatology, and EULAR stands for the European League Against Rheumatism. These societies have worked together to come up
\nwith classification criteria for primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n
\nThe study looked at 499 people with primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome or suspected of having primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome who were seen in June 2012 at 10 hospitals in Japan. Everyone included had been assessed for all four criteria of 1999 revised Japanese Ministry of Health criteria (called JPN for short) for diagnosis of
\nSj\u00f6gren\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\nThis was an observational study. There was no medicine being tested. A questionnaire was used to collect information,
\nand medical records were used to check each person\u2019s clinical findings, and the results of blood and saliva samples. Using this information, the authors then compared four different ways of diagnosing Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome to see if they all picked up the same people. The four methods were the joint ACR-EULAR, the JPN,
\nthe AECG, and the ACR criteria. AECG is the American-European Consensus Group classification criteria, developed in 2002.<\/p>\n
\nThe authors found that the ACR-EULAR criteria had significantly higher sensitivity and lower specificity in the diagnosis of primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome, compared with the other three sets of criteria. This means that the ACR-EULAR criteria were more likely than other measures to detect people with Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s as having the
\ncondition. However, the ACR-EULAR criteria had a higher rate of false positives \u2013 meaning that it was not as good at finding out people who did not have primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n
\nYes, this is the first study to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the ACR-EULAR criteria in Japanese\u00a0people with primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n
\nThe present study has certain limitations. The first is that the authors used the diagnosis by the doctor in charge as the \u201cgold standard\u201d. Secondly, the methods used for some tests of eye dryness and saliva volume varied among the different clinics. This could have affected the results being compared.<\/p>\n
\nThe authors believe there is a need for a more sophisticated study to confirm the results, using expert clinical judgment and a set method for testing that fits completely with the items in the criteria.<\/p>\n
\nIf your doctor thinks you have primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome, they may use the ACR-EULAR criteria to help\u00a0make a diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\nThe Summary is written to assist non medically trained readers to understand general points of the Original Article. It is supplied \u201cas is\u201d without any warranty. You should note that the Original Article (and Summary) may not be fully relevant nor accurate as medical science is constantly changing and errors can occur. It is therefore very important that readers not rely on the content in the Summary and consult their medical professionals for all aspects of their health care and only rely on the Summary if directed to do so by their medical professional.Please view our full Website Terms and Conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nSummary based on research article published on: 13th November 2017
\nFrom: Tsuboi, H. et al. Comparison of performance of the 2016 ACR-EULAR classification criteria for primary Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome with other sets of criteria in Japanese patients. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1980\u20131985.
\ndoi: 10.1136\/annrheumdis-2016-210758<\/p>\n