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

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).