Use your reports to review the five 2016 ACR/EULAR criteria for primary Sjögren’s. The score supports a discussion with your clinician; it cannot diagnose the disease.
Clinical check 1 · Eligibility
Troublesome dry eyes every day for over 3 months.
A repeated sandy or gritty sensation in the eyes.
Artificial tears needed more than 3 times daily.
Dry mouth every day for over 3 months.
Often needing a drink to swallow dry food.
A clinician suspects Sjögren’s from systemic features, with a positive item in at least one ESSDAI domain.
Symptoms establish eligibility only; they do not earn points.
Clinical check 2 · Exclusions
Previous radiotherapy to the head or neck.
Active hepatitis C confirmed by PCR.
AIDS.
Sarcoidosis.
Amyloidosis.
Graft-versus-host disease.
IgG4-related disease.
If any applies, these classification criteria cannot be used. Ask your clinician if unsure.
Clinical check 3 · Test validity
Some medicines, especially anticholinergic medicines, affect tear and saliva tests. Your clinician must assess any required interval off these medicines before testing. Do not stop medicines yourself. Biopsy findings require an experienced pathologist’s assessment.
Five scoring items0 / 5 results known
01
Positive anti-SSA / Ro antibody — 3 points if met.
Use the laboratory report. Anti-SSB / La alone, ANA and rheumatoid factor do not earn points here.
02
Focal lymphocytic sialadenitis AND focus score ≥1 per 4 mm² — 3 points if met.
Both findings must be confirmed on a labial salivary-gland biopsy by an experienced pathologist. An unclear report is not a negative test.
03
Ocular staining score ≥5 OR van Bijsterveld score ≥4 in either eye — 1 point if met.
Use an eye specialist’s documented score. The two methods are alternatives and count only once, even if both eyes qualify.
04
Wetting ≤5 mm in 5 minutes in either eye — 1 point if met.
Use the recorded Schirmer result. Dry-eye symptoms alone cannot substitute for this test.
05
Flow rate ≤0.1 mL/min — 1 point if met.
Use a measured unstimulated whole-saliva flow rate. A dry-mouth feeling or a stimulated saliva test is not equivalent.
For education, not self-diagnosis. This is not a measure of disease severity or activity. A low score does not rule out Sjögren’s. Your clinician decides which tests are appropriate; not everyone needs all five tests or a lip biopsy. Do not start, stop or change medicines based on this result.