In patients with sicca symptoms and positive SSA/SSB how often do you perform other diagnostic testing such as salivary gland ultrasound, biopsy, Shirmers, ocular staining, stimulated salivary flow, etc?
Is the diagnosis of Sjogren's mostly clinical in a patient with a consistent history and physical with positive serologies?
Answer from: at Academic Institution
In patients with sicca symptoms and positive SSA antibodies, I always try to confirm that they have objective evidence of dryness/gland involvement. This is because patients can say they have dry eye and/or dry mouth yet not have this bear out on objective testing (Bezzina et al., PMID 27992710, Rip...
It depends on the clinical context, insurance coverage for procedures, availability of Sjogren's knowledgeable referrals, and patient preferences. I always have patients see optometry/ophthalmology in order to prevent ocular surface damage and assess the causes of dry eye (meibomian gland etc), and ...