Antibodies against GnRH and its receptor in patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome

摘要

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the exocrine glands, resulting in diminished glandular secretion and mucosal dryness. In addition, various non-exocrine organs, including the gastrointestinal and nervous systems, may be involved resulting in, for example, dysphagia (1), gastroparesis (2), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (3). Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is secreted by the hypothala-mus but is also present in the human enteric nervous system (4). Antibodies against GnRH are more common in patients with IBS and enteric dysmotility in comparison to controls (5) and have also been described in a patient undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, using the GnRH analogue buserelin, who subsequently developed enteric dysmotility (6). Antibodies against GnRH have also previously been reported to be more common in pSS patients in comparison to healthy controls and patients with systemic sclerosis (3). In addition, hormonal factors, especially sex hormones, have often been suggested to play a significant role in pSS pathogene-sis considering the female dominance in the disease (7).