Salivary IFN-γ/IL-4 Ratio as a Mirror of Patient Experience: Unraveling Self-Reported Health and Disease Etiology in Sjögren’s Disease – a Pilot Study
- 1State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine, Department of Personalised Medicine, Santariškių st. 5, 08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
- 2State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine, Department of Immunology and Bioelectrochemistry, Santariškių st. 5, 08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
- 3Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, Campus North, 89081 Ulm, Germany
Abstract
Background/Objectives: To determine whether self-reports on the onset, perceived causes and activity of Sjögren’s disease (SjD) can reflect the local immune status? Materials and methods: This prospective study enrolled a cohort of 80 patients with sicca symptoms (dry eyes and dry mouth) referred to the outpatient department of the State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine between September 2024 and January 2026. The study population comprised two distinct clinical groups: 37 patients diagnosed with SjD and 43 patients with non-autoimmune sicca syndrome (nonautoimmunSicca) due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). All patients indicated the perceived causes of their disease, the symptoms at the onset of the disease, and the activity of the disease using Visual analog scale (VAS). Cytokine levels in saliva were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly increased in patients with SjD (median 158.7 (IQR 67.4–465.1) vs. 31.80 (IQR 20.9–45.5); p < 0.001). The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly and negatively correlated with extraglandular symptoms at the onset of the disease, time from the 1st symptoms, salivary flow rates, and positively correlated with dryness score according to VAS in patients with SjD. The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly and negatively associated with salivary flow rates and positively correlated with dryness score according to VAS in patients with nonautoimmunSicca. We also found a positive correlation between the perceived cause of the disease and the dryness score on the VAS, as well as a negative correlation between saliva flow rate and the concentration of IFN-γ in saliva among patients with SjD. The salivary IL-4 levels significantly and positively correlated with salivary flow rate, as well as negatively with pain and dryness score on the VAS in SjD group. Conclusions: Patient-reported information regarding disease onset, perceived causes, and symptoms severity of SjD significantly correlates with local Th1/Th2 mucosal immune status, suggesting that patient experiences may reflect underlying inflammatory trends and support patient-centered clinical evaluation.
Related
- Validation of the PREM-MSZ resulting in the PREM-Q8: a generic patient-reported experience measure for outpatient care.
- Development, content validation and reliability assessment of the Bowel Irrigation Questionnaire, a Patient-Reported Experience Measure for Transanal Irrigation: a multi-methods study
- Tolerability, administration burden, and patient-reported experience of riluzole formulations in ALS: a longitudinal real-world study
- Associations of self-reported toothbrushing frequency with salivary microbiome in caries, fluorosis, and healthy subjects
- Comparison of dental caries experience and salivary electrolyte parameters among children aged 6-14 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus and healthy controls: An in vivo study
BibTeX
@article{kontenis2026salivary,
title = {{Salivary IFN-γ/IL-4 Ratio as a Mirror of Patient Experience: Unraveling Self-Reported Health and Disease Etiology in Sjögren’s Disease – a Pilot Study}},
author = {Vilius Kontenis and Auksė Zinkevičienė and E. Marion Schneider and Rita Vilienė and Jūratė Gruodė and Diana Mieliauskaitė},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15218337},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8337},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Salivary IFN-γ/IL-4 Ratio as a Mirror of Patient Experience: Unraveling Self-Reported Health and Disease Etiology in Sjögren’s Disease – a Pilot Study
AU - Vilius Kontenis
AU - Auksė Zinkevičienė
AU - E. Marion Schneider
AU - Rita Vilienė
AU - Jūratė Gruodė
AU - Diana Mieliauskaitė
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15218337
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8337
AB - Background/Objectives: To determine whether self-reports on the onset, perceived causes and activity of Sjögren’s disease (SjD) can reflect the local immune status? Materials and methods: This prospective study enrolled a cohort of 80 patients with sicca symptoms (dry eyes and dry mouth) referred to the outpatient department of the State Research Institute Center for Innovative Medicine between September 2024 and January 2026. The study population comprised two distinct clinical groups: 37 patients diagnosed with SjD and 43 patients with non-autoimmune sicca syndrome (nonautoimmunSicca) due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). All patients indicated the perceived causes of their disease, the symptoms at the onset of the disease, and the activity of the disease using Visual analog scale (VAS). Cytokine levels in saliva were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly increased in patients with SjD (median 158.7 (IQR 67.4–465.1) vs. 31.80 (IQR 20.9–45.5); p < 0.001). The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly and negatively correlated with extraglandular symptoms at the onset of the disease, time from the 1st symptoms, salivary flow rates, and positively correlated with dryness score according to VAS in patients with SjD. The IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio was significantly and negatively associated with salivary flow rates and positively correlated with dryness score according to VAS in patients with nonautoimmunSicca. We also found a positive correlation between the perceived cause of the disease and the dryness score on the VAS, as well as a negative correlation between saliva flow rate and the concentration of IFN-γ in saliva among patients with SjD. The salivary IL-4 levels significantly and positively correlated with salivary flow rate, as well as negatively with pain and dryness score on the VAS in SjD group. Conclusions: Patient-reported information regarding disease onset, perceived causes, and symptoms severity of SjD significantly correlates with local Th1/Th2 mucosal immune status, suggesting that patient experiences may reflect underlying inflammatory trends and support patient-centered clinical evaluation.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -