AB0332 IS MINOR SALIVARY GLAND HISTOLOGY A GOOD BIOMARKER SCORE TO PREDICT THE EXTRAGLANDULAR INVOLVEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY SJOGREN’S SYNDROME?

Background: The minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB) is considered the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS). The histological hallmark is focal lymphocytic infiltration with the presence of 50 or more lymphocytes per 4 mm2 (focus score ≥ 1). Several studies have documented the association between focus score (FS) and extraglandular involvement, suggesting that FS could be used as a histological index of disease severity and a prognostic tool. Objectives: To investigate the association between the FS and clinical, haematological and serological findings in a cohort of patients with pSS. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with pSS who fulfilled the ACR/EULAR 2016 classification criteria that were submitted to a minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB). Demographic data, disease duration, extraglandular involvement and histopathologic data were collected and analyzed. The severity of histologic changes was graded according to the Chisholm and Mason scoring system and the FS was determined. Fisher’s exact test/Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the patients with and without positive biopsy (FS Results: A total of 59 pSS patients were included. Regarding the histopathologic pattern, 40 of 59 patients had a FS ≥ 1, while 19 patients had a FS When comparing the quantitative value of FS in groups with and without each extraglandular manifestation, the authors found that patients with articular involvement had a significant higher FS value than patients without articular manifestations (p=0.037). No other significant association was found. Conclusion: Regarding the clinical manifestations, we didn’t find a significant difference between patients with a FS Disclosure of Interests: None declared