Symptoms of Sjögren's Disease Impact Health-Related Quality of Life

Patients with Sjögren’s disease experience symptoms beyond dry eyes and mouth that affect their daily living and functioning, according to a study published in Rheumatology and Therapy.

“Findings reveal Sjögren’s patients’ experiences to be complex and unique to individual patients, indicating a need to measure Sjögren’s impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and compare how outcomes vary between patients and different treatment options both in routine clinical practice and in clinical trials,” wrote corresponding author Pushpendra Goswami, PhD, of Novartis Pharma AG, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, and study coauthors.

Researchers used an artificial intelligence natural language processing tool to analyze 6512 social media posts with content on Sjögren’s posted by patients in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and China. This study used an impact framework centered on measures of “commonness” and “bothersomeness” to investigate the intersection of Sjögren’s symptoms and their impact on HRQoL in patients.

Symptom domains with the most impact were pain; dry mouth and throat; fatigue, energy, and sleep; emotional balance; and dry eye, according to the study. The pain domain and the dry mouth and throat domain were most frequently mentioned. Most bothersome to patients were the emotional balance domain and the fatigue, energy, and sleep domain.

The analysis found close associations between several core HRQoL domains and symptom domains. The daily functioning HRQoL domain was linked with fatigue, energy, and sleep; dry mouth and throat; and dry eye domains. Additionally, the financial health HRQoL domain was linked with fatigue, energy, and sleep; psychological wellbeing was linked with emotional balance; and social wellbeing with gynecological issues.

“Study findings can inform physician–patient interaction and shared decision-making in routine clinical practice, leading to treatment tailored to patient needs, such as by prioritizing the treatment of symptoms that are more impactful,” researchers wrote. “This could improve patients’ quality of life, including how they feel, function, and interact with the world.”

Reference:
Perella C, Steenackers M, Robbins B, et al. Patient experience of Sjögren’s disease and its multifaceted impact on patients' lives. Rheumatol Ther. 2023;10(3):601-614. doi:10.1007/s40744-023-00531-7