Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Rheumatoid Arthritis, including details on treatment, symptoms, causes, medication.

Anti-beta2-glycoprotein I in Sjogren's syndrome is associated with parkinsonism.

Hassin-Baer S, Levy Y, Langevitz P, Nakar S, Ehrenfeld M

Department of Neurology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Hashomer 52621, Tel-Aviv, Israel.

The nervous system may be involved in up to 30% of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). We describe three patients with Sjogren's syndrome and a concomitant parkinsonian syndrome. Elevated titers of anti-beta2-glycoprotein I IgG were found in the serum of all three patients. This autoantibody is strongly associated with anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and thromboembolic phenomena, but its role in the pathogenesis of the parkinsonian disorder in SS is unclear. These patients may present a subtype of SS patients in which the presence of aCL antibodies is associated with central nervous system involvement predominantly in the basal ganglia.

Published 3 April 2007 in Clin Rheumatol, 26(5): 743-7.
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