Corneal sub-basal nerve plexus assessment and its association with phenotypic features and lymphocyte subsets in Sjögren's Syndrome.

摘要: PURPOSE To assess and compare corneal sub-basal nerve plexus morphology with circulating lymphocyte subsets, immunologic status disease activity in Sjogren syndrome (SjS) patients. METHODS Fifty-five SjS patients, 63 Sicca patients (not fulfilling criteria), 18 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 20 healthy controls (HC) were included. Systemic was assessed the ESSDAI score. Lymphocyte subpopulations studied flow cytometry. Corneal confocal microscopy ImageJ software used to characterize terms of density (CNFD), length (CNFL) tortuosity (CNFT). Conventional dry eye tests also performed. RESULTS CNFL CNFD lower SjS, RA groups, compared HC (p < 0.001 for both Sicca); p = 0.005, p = 0.018 RA). CNFT higher followed by Sicca, HC. A negative correlation found between score (r=-0.735, p = 0.012). correlated negatively IL21+ CD8+ T cells (r=-0.279, p = 0.039) a positively total memory (r = 0.299, p = 0.027), unswitched (r = 0.281, p = 0.038) CD24Hi CD27+ (r = 0.278, p = 0.040) B cells. showed tendency significance its (r=-0.592, p = 0.071) positive switched (r = 0.644, p = 0.068). CONCLUSIONS This is first study aiming correlate ocular findings subsets SjS. The associations founded activity, follicular some B-cell suggest that damage may parallel systemic inflammatory cells' dynamics.