Journal of Internal Medicine Concepts & Practice ›› 2025, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (04): 319-321.doi: 10.16138/j.1673-6087.2025.04.11

• Case report • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A case of Sjögren syndrome with intestinal pseudo-obstruction as the initial symptom

LIU Meilana, WANG Linga, YANG Ronga, WANG Jialea, TU Huimina, LI Huilina,b()   

  1. a. Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Shanghai Pudong New Area Gongli Hospital, Shanghai, 200135, China
    b.Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Pudong New Area Gongli Hospital, Shanghai, 200135, China
  • Received:2024-11-20 Online:2025-07-31 Published:2025-10-27

Abstract:

Sjögren syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease primarily affecting exocrine glands. It has diverse clinical manifestations and is easily misdiagnosed. This article reports a case of SS presenting with intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO) as the initial symptom. A 31-year-old female presented with nausea, vomiting and bowel movement cessation. Imaging revealed colonic fecal impaction without mechanical obstruction. Serological tests showed positive anti-SSA/SSB/Ro-52 antibodies, and labial gland biopsy confirmed SS. The patient’s symptoms were relieved after receiving glucocorticoid and immunomodulatory therapy. This case highlights that SS may present with atypical gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms, suggesting the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation and autoantibody screening for early diagnosis.

Key words: Sjögren syndrome, Intestinal pseudo-obstruction, Nervous system damage

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