Background/Purpose: Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is a systemic autoimmune condition characterized by diverse clinical manifestations, which often complicates diagnosis and disease management1. Previous epidemiological estimates of SjD prevalence in the US have varied significantly due to differences in methodologies and data sources2. Consequently, SjD is frequently underdiagnosed or misclassified, affecting accurate prevalence estimates and complicating clinical decision-making1. This retrospective cohort study aims to characterize temporal trends in the annual prevalence of overall diagnosed SjD, including SjD without overlapping autoimmune conditions and SjD with overlapping autoimmune conditions (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis) among commercially insured adult patients in the US (2019–2023).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart database, encompassing US adults (≥18 years) with Commercial or Medicare Advantage insurance. Patients with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient claims for SjD (ICD-10: M35.x) during the period of interest (POI) from 2019–2023 were considered as prevalent cases. Annual prevalence was calculated by dividing the number of identified SjD patients by the total number of eligible enrollees during each annual POI prevalence was age and sex standardized to the US population using the US Census and reported as a rate (per 100,000 persons). A one-year lookback period prior to each POI was used to ascertain disease status. Generalized linear regression was employed to assess temporal trends.

Results: Between 2019 and 2023, the prevalence proportion per 100,000 persons steadily increased from 195.95 to 259.20 in overall diagnosed SjD, from 144.48 to 192.76 in SjD without overlapping autoimmune conditions, and from 51.48 to 66.44 in SjD with overlapping autoimmune conditions. The prevalence of overall diagnosed SjD and those without any overlapping autoimmune conditions was higher in women (vs men) and in the age groups 45–64 and ≥65 years (Fig 1a and 1b). Generalized linear regression showed statistically significant increasing trend in prevalence over time (p< 0.01) for overall diagnosed SjD in the US.

Conclusion: Findings from this large, claims-based analysis indicate a rising trend in diagnosed SjD, including SjD without and with overlapping autoimmune conditions, among adults from 2019–2023. The increasing prevalence in the US indicates an unmet need and disease burden, especially among women aged ≥40 years. This highlights the need for improved treatment and management strategies. Future work should explore if the observed trend is driven by increased awareness for screening, changes in clinical practice, or true changes in incidence.References:Mariette, X, et al. (2018). Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome. N Engl J Med, 378(10), 931-939.Brito-Zerón, P, et al. (2016). Sjögren syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primers, 2, 16047.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/prevalence-of-sjogrens-disease-in-the-united-states-a-retrospective-cohort-study-among-a-commercially-insured-population-2019-2023/