The following is a summary of “Elevated concentration of beta2-microglobulin among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome in the course of primary Sjogren syndrome – a prospective observational study on 50 patients,” published in the July 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Kościńska-Shukla et al.

Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) involves chronic autoimmune inflammation with lymphocytic infiltration in exocrine glands, potentially correlating with increased occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) compared to the general population.

Researchers conducted a prospective study exploring correlations between CTS and laboratory and clinical parameters in patients with SS.

They included 50 patients diagnosed with primarySS (pSS), who underwent clinical assessment by a rheumatologist, and electrophysiological studies. Laboratory test data were gathered. A control group of 50 individuals matched for sex and age with osteoarthritis (OA) was also included.

The result showed 50 patients in the group, only 27 (54%) were diagnosed with CTS. In the control group of 50 individuals, the prevalence of CTS was 8%. Comparing patients with pSS with and without CTS, joint involvement rates were similar [15 vs. 13 (P=0.945)]. However, significant differences were observed in sleep disorders [18 vs. 9 (P=0.012)] and paresthesia [23 vs. 13 (P=0.024)]. Elevated beta2-microglobulin (B2MG) levels were significantly more common in the CTS group [23 vs. 13 (P=0.024)]. Other factors studied, suggested in the literature as significant in pSS-related neuropathy, did not show statistically significant differences between the groups.

Investigators concluded that the higher prevalence of CTS among patients with pSS indicated a need for a new approach to understanding the pathogenesis, suggesting CTS may be linked more to overall disease activity rather than joint involvement alone.

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00296-024-05640-2