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Sjögren's Syndrome (SjS) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body attacks the glands that secrete fluids, such as tears and saliva. In a new study, researchers examined the relationship between this inflammatory disease and heart attack and stroke risks. They found that Sjögren's Syndrome dramatically increases these risks, especially within the first year after a diagnosis.

"This is the first general population-based cohort study comparing the relative risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients with new Sjögren's syndrome with age, sex, and entry-matched controls; previously we only had limited data on the relative risks in this specific patient group," Dr. Antonio Aviña-Zubieta, a research scientist at the Arthritis Research Center of Canada and an Assistant Professor of the Department of Medicine - Division of Rheumatology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, said in the press release. "It is the acute inflammatory state in Sjögren's syndrome, particularly at the onset of the disease, which is likely to be the main driver for the increased risk of heart attacks and stroke."

The researchers looked at heart attack data first. They found that out of 1,176 SjS cases, 28 patients experienced a first time heart attack. The heart attack incident rate was 7.7 per 1000 person-years. When the researchers compared this data to 11,879 cases of patients without SjS, they found that the heart attack incidence rate was only 3.5 per 1000 person-years. The team then examined stroke numbers. They found that people with SjS had an incident rate of 5.1 per 1000 person-years whereas people without the syndrome had a rate of 3.4 per 1000 person-years.

"Our results support the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and the need for increased monitoring for coronary artery disease in all patients with this condition, in addition to proper management and modification of their cardiovascular risk factors to reduce the risk of a future heart attack," Dr. Aviña-Zubieta, who is the Principal Investigator of the study, said.

The study's findings were presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2014).