TOPLINE

Patients with primary Sjögren disease (SjD) had a higher risk for mortality than matched individuals without the disease, and were more likely to die from infections, heart disease, and interstitial lung disease.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a data linkage study in Western Australia to evaluate whether patients with SjD had a higher risk for death than people without the disease.
• They identified patients from hospital and emergency records (1980-2013): 457 with primary SjD (median age, 64 years), 218 with SjD plus rheumatoid arthritis (median age, 65 years), and 77 with SjD plus other connective tissue disease (median age, 54 years); most were women.
• Each patient with SjD was matched with 5 individuals without the disease, yielding a control group of 3716 individuals (median age, 63 years).
• The primary outcome was death, and the secondary outcome was cause of death.
• Patients with SjD were followed for a maximum duration of 33 years, and control individuals were followed for a maximum duration of 25 years.

TAKEAWAY

• Patients with primary SjD had a 23% lower relative survival at 25 years compared with the general population, while relative survival in control individuals was similar to the general population.
• Patients with primary SjD had a higher risk for death than control individuals (hazard ratio [HR], 1.8), with a further higher risk in those who also had another connective tissue disease (HR, 3.1) or rheumatoid arthritis (HR, 2.1; P < .001 for all).
• SjD was associated with an increased risk for death from circulatory disease (subhazard ratio [sHR], 1.6; P < .001), including ischemic heart disease (sHR, 1.6) and pulmonary circulation disorders (sHR, 5.4; P ≤ .001 for both).
• SjD was associated with increased risk for deaths from infection, lymphoid malignancy, and respiratory disease. Interstitial lung disease showed the strongest association.

IN PRACTICE

"The significant contribution of cardiovascular disease and infection to mortality necessitates early cardiovascular risk factor management and vigilance for preventing and treating infections to improve overall survival," the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Cristina Pelkas, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia, Australia. It was published online on September 10, 2026, in Rheumatology.

LIMITATIONS

Researchers lacked information on diagnostic criteria, disease activity, smoking status, or other factors that may have influenced the outcomes. Including patients from a hospital-based cohort may have captured those with more severe disease. The findings may not have reflected newer therapies or improvements in care.

DISCLOSURES

One author acknowledged receiving funding support from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Several authors reported receiving clinical-trial research support, project funding, in-kind support, conference sponsorship, and personal fees (consultancy and speakers' honoraria) from industry, as well as competitive grants from national research agencies and charities. Detailed disclosures are available in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.