The Association of Disease Activity, Personality Trait and Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Primary Sjogren's Syndrome

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the biological correlates of psychological distress and personality trait in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). Method: A total of 40 female patients with pSS were recruited for this study. Brief Symptoms Rating Scale (BSRS) and Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) were applied to measure psychological distress and personality trait, respectively. Adjusted T scores of these two scales, which were obtained from comparisons with a pre-existing hospital reference group after adjusting for the effects of gender and age, were used to determine severity. We also investigated the association between psychometric variables and biological markers which included serological parameters and quantitative sialoscintigraphy. Results: The adjusted T scores of General Severity Index (GSI) for BSRS and neuroticism for MPI were significantly higher in patients with pSS than in the hospital reference group. The score of neuroticism was significantly associated with an abnormally high rheumatoid factor and marginally correlated with IgG level. The degree of neuroticism in personality trait, rather than the severity of psychological distress, correlates to the extent of salivary gland dysfunction defined by quantitative sialoscintigraphy. Conclusion: Patients with pSS suffered from notable psychological distress. The personality trait of neuroticism significantly associates with the extent of salivary dysfunction. It is important to deliver holistic care to patients with pSS in order to help alleviate their disease burden. Further studies which focus on the relationship between biological markers and personality traits might shed light on the mechanisms connecting body and mind in pSS.