Primary Sjögren’s syndrome impact on smell, taste, sexuality and quality of life in female patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of dryness caused by primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS) on smell, taste and sexual function in female patients, and its influence on quality of life.

Methods: Electronic databases including MEDLINE via Ovid, Web of Science, SCOUPUS, EMBASE and COCHRANE LIBRARY were searched until April 2016. Studies that assessed the function of smell, taste and sexuality in pSS patients, defined by the American European Consensus Group (AECG) criteria. Standardized mean differences (SMD) for individual studies using random-effects meta-analysis were feasible.

Results: Five studies incorporated 378 participants were included in the quantitative synthesis. The impact of pSS vs. healthy controls was: smell SMD −0.78 (95% CI −1.29 to −0.27); taste SMD −1.01 (95% CI −1.54 to −0.49); total sexual function SMD −0.93 (95% CI −1.22 to −0.64); physical and mental component of the quality of life SMD −1.28 (95% CI −1.65 to −0.90) and SMD −0.83 (95% CI −1.27 to −0.40) respectively; anxiety and depression SMD 0.61 (95% CI 0.02, 1.20) and SMD 0.79 (95% CI 0.43 to 1.15), respectively.

Conclusion: pSS has a negative impact on smell, taste, sexual function and quality of life in women.

Keywords:

• Primary Sjögren’s syndrome
• Smell
• Sexual function
• Taste

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jolien F. van Nimwegen for her contribution to data collection.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article. This work is in partial fulfilment of a PhD degree, which is supported by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.