Objective:

To describe the prevalence of Sjogren’s Syndrome (SS)-associated antibodies and clinical SS in patients with anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies.

Background:

While there is a known association between SS and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), little is known about the prevalence of SS-associated antibodies and clinical SS in patients with anti-MOG antibodies.

Design/Methods:

We conducted a chart review to evaluate for the presence of SS-associated antibodies (anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La) and clinical SS in patients with positive MOG antibodies who were evaluated by providers at our institution between January 2000 and August 2024.

Results:

Among 282 patients with anti-MOG antibodies, results of anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La antibody testing were available in 133 (47.2%). In this group, median age was 41.5 years (range 8-82 years); and 87 (65.4%) identified as female, 43 (32.3%) as male and 3 (2.2%) as non-binary. Information about race was available in 131 (98.5%) patients, of whom 102 (77.9%) identified as white or Caucasian, 12 (9.1%) as black or African American, 10 (7.6%) as Asian and 7 (5.3%) as other; and 8 (6.2%) of 129 patients identified as Hispanic or Latino. Anti-SSA/Ro was positive in 4 patients (3.0%) and equivocal in 1 patient (0.75%). Anti-SSB/La antibodies were positive in 1 patient (N = 1, 0.75%). Two (1.5%) patients with SS-associated antibodies were considered to have clinical SS. There were an additional 6 patients in whom clinical SS was suspected, but was not confirmed (negative antibodies without other confirmation testing, or lack of antibody testing).

Conclusions:

We estimate the prevalence of anti-SSA/Ro antibody positivity, anti-SSB/La antibody positivity, and clinical SS in patients with anti-MOG antibodies to be 3.0%, 0.75% and 1.5% respectively. Rates of anti-SSA positivity appear to be higher in patients with anti-MOG antibodies compared to the general population in the United States (0.54%), but lower than in NMOSD (26.3%).