Is extra-glandular organ damage in primary Sjögren's syndrome related to the presence of systemic auto-antibodies and/or hypergammaglobulinemia? A long-term cohort study with 110 patients from the Netherlands.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that systemic auto-antibodies or hypergammaglobulinemia are related to the prevalence of extra-glandular tissue organ damage (EGOD) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

Methods: A real practice-based investigation of a relatively large (n = 110) Dutch cohort of primary SS patients systematically followed up in a large non-academic hospital.

Results: After a follow up of mean 8.