Sjogren's syndrome patients presenting with hypergammaglobulinemia are relatively unresponsive to cevimeline treatment

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by sicca symptoms, including dry eyes and dry mouth. Cevimeline is used for the treatment of dry mouth in patients with SS. Here we prospectively tested the clinical effectiveness of cevimeline at increasing saliva secretion in patients with SS, and the results were compared with the clinical parameters of the patients. Saliva secretion was increased > 160% in 17 of 30 (56.7%) patients (P < 0.005). When the clinical parameters were compared between the patients who responded to cevimeline treatment and those who did not respond to the treatment, the frequency of patients presenting with hypergammaglobulinemia was significantly higher in the nonresponder group (P < 0.05). It thus appears that cevimeline is effective in SS patients with milder disease activity.