KERATO-CONJUNCTIVITIS sicca is the condition which follows a reduction of secretion by the main and accessory lacrimal glands, and is characterized by interpalpebral staining of the bulbar conjunctiva with rose Bengal, punctate corneal staining with punctate opacities in Bowman's zone, the presence of thick stringy mucous strands in the lower fornices, and corneal filaments, the latter being ne...

Hereditary deficiencies in early and late complement components are well known to predispose to SLE-like syndromes or recurrent infection. Hitherto reported C9 deficient cases have usually been healthy subjects, however, and it is not considered that C9 deficiency is associated with any specific disease. We describe a completely C9 deficient patient with possible Sjögren's syndrome and discuss ...

INTRODUCTION A subgroup of patients with primary Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) and positive anticentromere antibodies (ACA) were recognized as having features intermediate between SS and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our goal was to describe this group clinically and serologically and define its tendency to evolve to full blown SSc. METHODS Among 535 patients with primary SS we identified 20 ACA positi...

KERATO-CONJUNCTIVITIS sicca is more often seen by and is of more interest to the ophthalmologist than the physician. It is little known and yet not uncommon. The usual syndrome is one affecting mainly middle-aged women and consisting of kerato-conjunctivitis sicca, rhinitis sicca, xerostoma, pharyngitis sicca, and parotid enlargement, and frequently including a chronic polyarthritis (Sjogren's ...