Salivary production rates fall with age in subjects having anti‐centromere, anti‐Ro, and/or anti‐La antibodies

Abstract

Objectives: To clarify the relationship between a subject's sicca‐associated autoantibodies type and changes in salivary production rate (SPR) with age in subjects having any of these antibodies.

Methods: One hundred and eighty‐five subjects (female:male = 178:7), who had at least one of the three autoantibodies, anti‐centromere (ACA), anti‐Ro (SSA), and/or anti‐La (SSB), and 65 healthy females were enrolled. The Saxon test was used to measure SPR.

Results: SPRs in the seven male subjects were significantly higher than those in the 178 females tested. Therefore, only female subjects were used for the following analyses. Subjects were classified into substantially four groups according to their seropositivities for ACA, anti‐Ro, and/or anti‐La: group A, subjects having ACA alone; group B, subjects having anti‐Ro alone; group E, subjects having anti‐Ro and anti‐La; group DFG, subjects having ACA with anti‐Ro and/or anti‐La. The frequency of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) was 74.0–94.1% in these groups. SPR did not decrease with age in normal female controls. By contrast, SPR decreased significantly with age in the groups having sicca‐associated antibodies. The degree of SPR decrease compared between groups was: group A group B>group E ≒group DFG. In the analysis of the subgroup having any of the sicca‐associated antibodies but not fulfilling the classification criteria of SS, SPR also decreased with age.

Conclusion: SPR in subjects having any of the sicca‐associated antibodies (ACA, anti‐Ro, or anti‐La) decreased with age.