Sjögren’s syndrome: common treatment may not be effective

Hydroxychloroquine, often prescribed to people with Sjögren’s syndrome, may not improve symptoms after all, suggests a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Sjögren’s syndrome is characterised by mouth and eye dryness, pain and fatigue. Despite the wide use of hydroxychloroquine in clinical practice, evidence regarding its efficacy is limited.
A total of 120 people with primary Sjögren’s syndrome were split into groups. One group received hydroxychloroquine for 24 weeks and another group were given a placebo. All patients (treatment and placebo) were prescribed hydroxychloroquine between weeks 24 and 48.
At 24 weeks, the proportion of people meeting the primary end point (at least a 30% reduction in scores of dryness, pain and fatigue) was:

• 17.9% in the hydroxychloroquine group
• 17.2% in the placebo group.

And use of hydroxychloroquine was not associated with improvement in lab tests used to monitor the activity of Sjögren’s syndrome.
“In the present study, hydroxychloroquine did not demonstrate efficacy for the main disabling symptoms – dryness, pain, and fatigue – of primary Sjögren syndrome compared with placebo,” the authors write. “[This trial] extends the negative results of the only previous controlled crossover trial, which included 19 patients and confirms that previous open trials might have overestimated the therapeutic efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in primary Sjögren syndrome.”
But further studies involving more people are needed to evaluate longer-term outcomes – and this research is not a reason to stop taking medication. Always speak to your GP if you’re concerned about medication you are taking.
To read the original research click here.