DIAGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF SALIVARY LEVELS OF BETA-2-MICROGLOBULIN IN SJOGRENS SYNDROME

To evaluate the diagnostic significance of salivary .beta.2m in Sjogren''s syndrome we measured salivary .beta.2m levels in 19 patients with primary sicca syndrome (PSS), 15 with secondary Sjogren''s syndrome (SSS) and compared the results with 20 normal healthy persons. We showed that .beta.2m is specifically excreted in the saliva, because in normal saliva the concentration of .beta.2m was unrelated to IgA levels. Also in normals, there was no relationship between serum and saliva concentrations of .beta.2m. The mean saliva levels of .beta.2m were increased in PSS (1.13 .+-. 0.58) and SSS (1.39 .+-. 0.69) compared with the levels in normals (0.53 .+-. 0.22). The determination of .beta.2m in the saliva can therefore be used as a noninvasive measurement for the confirmation of the diagnosis Sjogren''s syndrome.