**4.8. Anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies**

Alpha fodrin is an actin-binding, organ-specific protein of the cytoskeleton. Antibodies against alpha-fodrin are detected in serum samples from patients with primary or secondary Sjögren's syndrome especially with sicca symptoms. Some authors suggest that they can be detected earlier in the course of pSS, sometimes before the emergence of anti SS-A or SS-B antibodies [64]. These antibodies, in the IgA and IgG class of immunoglobulins, are found in the serum and salivary glands of patients with pSS. However, other researchers did not describe any significant sensitivity and specificity of these antibodies [65–67].

The occurrence of some of the identified antibodies has been associated with the specific clinical features such as interstitial lung disease, increased eye dryness, increased risk of nephrolithiasis and tubular distal acidosis or MALT lymphomas. In **Table 4**, autoantibodies frequently

Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Autoantibodies http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.75011 129

pSS is a still not fully understood autoimmune disease, requiring doctor's vigilance. Even despite of a pSS having a mild course for a long time, there is a risk of organs and systems involvement. As it has been known for many years already, the risk of developing lymphomas is particularly increased in pSS patients compared to the healthy population. Although only one antibody (SS-A/Ro) has been included in the pSS diagnostic criteria, a lot of attention has been paid to new autoantibodies that can help clinicians in patient stratification in the

Early Arthritis Clinic, National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation,

[1] Cruz-Tapias P, Rojas-Villarraga A, Maier-Moore S, Anaya JM. HLA and Sjögren's syndrome susceptibility. A meta-analysis of worldwide studies. Autoimmunity Reviews.

[2] Ciccacci C, Perricone C, Ceccarelli F, et al. A multilocus genetic study in a cohort of Italian SLE patients confirms the association with STAT4 gene and describes a new asso-

[3] Crawford DH. Biology and disease associations of Epstein-Barr virus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 2001;**356**:461-473

[4] Niller HH, Wolf H, Minarovits J.Regulation and dysregulation of Epstein-Barr virus latency: Implications for the development of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmunity. 2008;**41**:298-328

occurring in pSS and their association with clinical manifestation were presented.

early stages of diagnosis or may have a prognostic value.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Maria Maślińska\* and Brygida Kwiatkowska

\*Address all correspondence to: maslinskam@gmail.com

ciation with HCP5 gene. PLoS One. 2014;**9**:e111991

**6. Conclusions**

**Conflict of interest**

**Author details**

Warsaw, Poland

**References**

2012;**11**:281-287
