Research Focuses on risk Factors for Lymphoma

A study conducted at the University of Ioannina School of Medicine (Ioannina, Greece) concluded that 20% of deaths among patients with Sjögren’s syndrome can be attributed to lymphoma. Lead author John PA Ioannidis, MD, stated the study "provides large-scale evidence on the overall benign prognosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome and separates a small, but important and distinct group of high-risk patients." Dr. Ioannidis and his team emphasize that the majority of patients with primary Sjögren’s "may be reassured of a benign course" of their disease; they wrote, "In the absence of low C4 levels and palpable purpura, an excess mortality risk is improbable."

Published in the March 2002 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, this study indicates that patients who have small raised areas of bleeding in the skin and low levels of complement factor C4 when initially diagnosed with primary Sjögren’s syndrome are at higher risk for developing lymphoma or lymphoproliferative disease.

Studies have shown that 5% of Sjögren’s patients eventually develop lymphoma.

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