pattismith
Senior Member
- Messages
- 3,990
Early Sjögren’s Antibodies in Dysautonomia Patients
Dysautonomia International President Lauren Stiles was diagnosed with POTS and Sjögren’s syndrome in her early 30s, younger than the typical Sjögren’s patient. She co-authored a research study on Sjögren’s syndrome related antibodies in dysautonomia patients that was presented at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology annual meeting. The study found that 41% of idiopathic dysautonomia patients who reported either dry eyes or dry mouth had antibodies that are found in the early stages of Sjögren’s syndrome.
...We looked at the records of all of South Shore Neurologic Associates’ patients over the past year who reported either dry eye or dry mouth symptoms, plus some kind of other autonomic problem, who didn’t have an identifiable cause (meaning their dysautonomia was “idiopathic”), and who didn’t have the SS-A and SS-B antibodies doctors common rely upon to diagnose Sjögren’s. Out of 95 idiopathic dysautonomia patients included the study, we found that 41% of them had one or more novel early Sjögren’s antibodies (salivary protein-1 [SP-1], parotid secretory protein [PSP], and/or carbonic anhydrase-6 [CA-6]). Then we looked at the symptoms found in the antibody positive patents compared to the symptoms in the antibody negative patients.
Q: What type of dysautonomia did the patients in this study have?
A: Rather than focusing on the formal diagnostic criteria used to classify the different types of dysautonomia, we focused on the symptom presentation. We looked at symptoms suggesting autonomic dysfunction: orthostatic intolerance, bladder dysfunction, secretory dysfunction (dry eyes/dry mouth), and gastrointestinal dysfunction. The study included individuals who had previously been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, neurocardiogenic syncope, orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic intolerance, and gastroparesis, which are all forms of dysautonomia. Sjögren’s is the second most common cause of autonomic neuropathy, after diabetes, so it’s not surprising that we would see a wide variety of dysautonomia patients who have markers associated with Sjögren’s syndrome.
Some of the study subjects had also been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and other overlapping conditions seen in our patient community.
Q: Do these antibodies cause dysautonomia?
A: The antibodies involved in this study (SP-1, PSP and/or CA-6) are targeting the salivary glands, so they may be causing or contributing to dry mouth, but we don’t think they are causing all of the other aspects of dysautonomia in these patients. These antibodies have been identified early in the course of Sjögren’s syndrome in two mouse models of Sjögren’s and in humans. Sjögren’s comes with a lot of different antibodies, so there are likely other antibodies or immune markers in these patients that are disrupting the autonomic nerves, resulting in dysautonomia symptoms.
One likely culprit is muscarinic-3 receptor antibodies, which have been found in up to 90% of Sjögren’s patients in other studies, particularly Sjögren’s patients who are younger or earlier in the course of the disease. Muscarinic-3 (M3) receptors are part of the autonomic nervous system.
When an M3 antibody binds to these receptors, this can impair the messages sent between the autonomic nerves, resulting in symptoms of dysautonomia. Unfortunately, reliable M3 antibody testing is not commercially available at this time. However, we are working on a study with Dr. Steven Vernino at UT Southwestern to look for these antibodies in POTS patients....
Q: Is Sjögren’s common in dysautonomia patients?
A: Sjögren’s is the second most common cause of autonomic neuropathy, after diabetes, and has been associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic intolerance, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, gastroparesis, and other forms of dysautonomia. In fact, the dry eye that Sjögren’s is well known for is a symptom of dysautonomia, since the tear glands are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. 1 in 10 people who have dry eye have Sjögren’s syndrome. Sjögren’s impacts 4 million Americans, but 3 million of them are undiagnosed.
https://www.dysautonomiainternation...sjogrens-antibodies-in-dysautonomia-patients/
Dysautonomia International President Lauren Stiles was diagnosed with POTS and Sjögren’s syndrome in her early 30s, younger than the typical Sjögren’s patient. She co-authored a research study on Sjögren’s syndrome related antibodies in dysautonomia patients that was presented at the 2016 American Academy of Neurology annual meeting. The study found that 41% of idiopathic dysautonomia patients who reported either dry eyes or dry mouth had antibodies that are found in the early stages of Sjögren’s syndrome.
...We looked at the records of all of South Shore Neurologic Associates’ patients over the past year who reported either dry eye or dry mouth symptoms, plus some kind of other autonomic problem, who didn’t have an identifiable cause (meaning their dysautonomia was “idiopathic”), and who didn’t have the SS-A and SS-B antibodies doctors common rely upon to diagnose Sjögren’s. Out of 95 idiopathic dysautonomia patients included the study, we found that 41% of them had one or more novel early Sjögren’s antibodies (salivary protein-1 [SP-1], parotid secretory protein [PSP], and/or carbonic anhydrase-6 [CA-6]). Then we looked at the symptoms found in the antibody positive patents compared to the symptoms in the antibody negative patients.
Q: What type of dysautonomia did the patients in this study have?
A: Rather than focusing on the formal diagnostic criteria used to classify the different types of dysautonomia, we focused on the symptom presentation. We looked at symptoms suggesting autonomic dysfunction: orthostatic intolerance, bladder dysfunction, secretory dysfunction (dry eyes/dry mouth), and gastrointestinal dysfunction. The study included individuals who had previously been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, neurocardiogenic syncope, orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic intolerance, and gastroparesis, which are all forms of dysautonomia. Sjögren’s is the second most common cause of autonomic neuropathy, after diabetes, so it’s not surprising that we would see a wide variety of dysautonomia patients who have markers associated with Sjögren’s syndrome.
Some of the study subjects had also been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and other overlapping conditions seen in our patient community.
Q: Do these antibodies cause dysautonomia?
A: The antibodies involved in this study (SP-1, PSP and/or CA-6) are targeting the salivary glands, so they may be causing or contributing to dry mouth, but we don’t think they are causing all of the other aspects of dysautonomia in these patients. These antibodies have been identified early in the course of Sjögren’s syndrome in two mouse models of Sjögren’s and in humans. Sjögren’s comes with a lot of different antibodies, so there are likely other antibodies or immune markers in these patients that are disrupting the autonomic nerves, resulting in dysautonomia symptoms.
One likely culprit is muscarinic-3 receptor antibodies, which have been found in up to 90% of Sjögren’s patients in other studies, particularly Sjögren’s patients who are younger or earlier in the course of the disease. Muscarinic-3 (M3) receptors are part of the autonomic nervous system.
When an M3 antibody binds to these receptors, this can impair the messages sent between the autonomic nerves, resulting in symptoms of dysautonomia. Unfortunately, reliable M3 antibody testing is not commercially available at this time. However, we are working on a study with Dr. Steven Vernino at UT Southwestern to look for these antibodies in POTS patients....
Q: Is Sjögren’s common in dysautonomia patients?
A: Sjögren’s is the second most common cause of autonomic neuropathy, after diabetes, and has been associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic intolerance, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, gastroparesis, and other forms of dysautonomia. In fact, the dry eye that Sjögren’s is well known for is a symptom of dysautonomia, since the tear glands are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. 1 in 10 people who have dry eye have Sjögren’s syndrome. Sjögren’s impacts 4 million Americans, but 3 million of them are undiagnosed.
https://www.dysautonomiainternation...sjogrens-antibodies-in-dysautonomia-patients/
Last edited: