Parotid gland ultrasonographic findings are milder in patients with primary Sjögren’s disease-related interstitial lung disease Primer Sjögren hastalığına bağlı interstisyel akciğer hastalığı olan hastalarda parotis bezi ultrasonografik bulguları daha hafiftir

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Öğüt T. S., ÜNAL M., ERBASAN F., TERZİOĞLU M. E., YAZISIZ V.

Journal of Turkish Society For Rheumatology, cilt.18, sa.2, ss.181-187, 2026 (Scopus, TRDizin)

Özet

Objective: To evaluate parotid gland ultrasonography findings in patients with Sjögren’s disease (SjD) with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and to compare them with those of SjD patients without ILD. Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional study included 20 patients with SjD-related ILD and 110 SjD patients without ILD. Parotid gland ultrasonography was graded according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) semiquantitative scoring system (grades 0-3). Parotid gland ultrasonography findings, along with clinical and laboratory characteristics, were compared between the two groups. Results: Demographic characteristics were largely comparable between groups, with no significant differences in mean age or age at diagnosis (p>0.05). However, the proportion of male patients was significantly higher in the ILD group than in the non-ILD group (20.0% vs. 1.9%, p=0.005). Regarding the primary outcomes, parotid gland ultrasonography scores indicated milder involvement in patients with SjD-related ILD. The proportion of patients with a total OMERACT score ≥2 in both parotid glands was significantly lower in the ILD group than in the non-ILD group (65.0% vs. 84.5%, p=0.03). As a secondary finding, at diagnosis, 70% of patients with ILD (n=14) presented predominantly with pulmonary symptoms, whereas only 30% had sicca manifestations. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients with SjD-related ILD more frequently present with pulmonary symptoms rather than sicca symptoms and exhibit milder parotid-gland involvement on ultrasonography. These findings suggest that SjD-related ILD may represent a distinct clinical subgroup characterized by relatively low-grade parotid gland ultrasonographic changes.