PO:25:071 | Gender differences in Sjögren’s disease: clinical activity, illness perception, and emotional impact

Ilenia Fischetti¹, Martina Salerno¹, Linda Mastromanno¹, Angelica Gattamelata¹, Martina Villa¹, Ludovica Manisera¹, Emanuele Grilli¹, Luca Quartuccio², Valeria Manfrè², Francesco Carubbi³, Evy Di Ruscio³, Fabrizio Conti¹, Roberta Priori^1|4 | ¹UOC di Reumatologia, Dipartimento SCIAC, Sapienza Università di Roma; ²Dipartimento di Medicina, Clinica di Reumatologia, Università degli Studi di Udine; ³UOC Medicina Interna e Nefrologia, Dipartimento MeSVA, Università degli Studi di L'Aquila; ⁴UniCamillus, San Camillo Università Internazionale di Scienze della Salute di Roma, Italy

Background. Sjögren’s Disease (SjD) is a systemic autoimmune disorder with a marked female predominance, characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and a substantial impact on quality of life. Yet, gender-related differences in disease perception and emotional experience remain poorly investigated. This multicenter study, promoted by GRISS, aimed to explore these aspects.

Materials and Methods. Eighty-six patients (30 men and 56 women) with primary SjD (ACR–EULAR criteria) were enrolled. Disease activity was assessed using the ESSDAI, while subjective symptom intensity was measured with the ESSPRI. Illness perception was evaluated through the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), which includes eight items addressing cognitive (consequences, timeline, personal control, treatment control, perceived symptoms), emotional (concern, emotional impact), and understanding dimensions. Emotional status was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), comprising the anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) subscales. Statistical analyses were performed with Student’s t-test or Mann–Whitney test for group comparisons, and Pearson or Spearman correlations to explore associations between variables. General characteristics are shown in Table 1; significant findings are summarized in Table 2.

Results. Compared with women, men displayed significantly higher systemic disease activity (ESSDAI, p = 0.0102) but lower symptom intensity (ESSPRI, p = 0.0107). Women reported higher levels of anxiety (p = 0.0054) and depression (p = 0.0033) and perceived a greater emotional impact of the disease (BIPQ item 8, p = 0.0153). Correlations between illness perception and psychological distress revealed gender-specific patterns. In women, both HADS-A and HADS-D correlated with the disease’s impact on daily life (item 1), symptom intensity (item 5), and emotional burden (item 8); only HADS-A was associated with disease-related concern (item 6). In men, anxiety correlated with BIPQ items 1, 5, 6, and 8, whereas depression correlated with items 6 and 8.

Conclusions. These findings underline the need to consider gender differences in the management of SjD, not only in terms of clinical presentation but also regarding subjective perception and psychological wellbeing. A personalized approach that incorporates patients’ emotional and cognitive profiles may enhance both the quality of care and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.