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This study investigates the impact of the Mediterranean diet on symptom severity in Sjogren’s syndrome using specific validated scores.

March 7, 2026Open Access

Mediterranean diet and symptom severity in Sjogren’s syndrome

Key Points

This study investigates the impact of the Mediterranean diet on symptom severity in Sjogren’s syndrome using specific validated scores.
Cross-sectional observational study conducted among diagnosed Sjogren syndrome patients.
Data collected through a telephone questionnaire covering demographics and disease severity.
Utilized OSDI and ESSPRI scores for assessing ocular dryness and overall symptom severity.
Evaluated correlation between adherence to Mediterranean diet (MEDAS) and symptom scores using Spearman’s correlation.
Significant negative correlation between MEDAS and OSDI scores (ρ = -0.78, p < 0.001).
Median OSDI score was 25.0 indicating substantial symptoms of ocular dryness.
Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet correlated with lower symptom scores for Sjogren’s syndrome.

Abstract

Background Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is a multifaceted clinical condition characterized by various features, including ocular dryness (OD), dry mouth, arthralgia, and fatigue, which plays a substantial role in shaping the clinical presentation of the disease and has detrimental effects on quality of life. Recent research has acknowledged the advantages of the Mediterranean diet (MD) for its positive impact on various autoimmune diseases. This study aims to investigate the effect of Mediterranean diet on Sjogren disease using two validated scores: the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score and the Eular Sjogren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study of previously diagnosed patients of Sjogren Syndrome using the ACR EULAR 2016 criteria. Patients were recruited from the archives of a tertiary university hospital. Data were collected through a telephone questionnaire, including demographic and disease data, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score to evaluate the OD severity, the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) score to determine adherence to the MD and the Eular Sjogren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). The primary outcome of the study, the association between OSDI/ESSPRI and MEDAS scores, was evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results The study comprised 75 patients with a mean age of 50.1 ± 13.3 years. There were 88% women among the patients. The median scores were 5.0 for the ESSPRI (IQR 3.0–6.7), 25.0 for the OSDI (IQR 10.4–40.6), and 8.0 for the MEDAS (IQR 4.5–11.0). The Spearman correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between MEDAS and OSDI (ρ = −0.78, p 0.001). None of the covariates were statistically significant in the ESSPRI model, whereas treatment exhibited 2 a positive correlation with OSDI (β = +6.44, 95% CI 0.84 to 12.03; p = 0.025), likely indicating confounding by indication. Conclusion The study results suggest that higher adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern was consistently associated with lower symptom burden. This approach may serve as a complementary strategy with multiple health benefits, alongside conventional treatment options.

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Cite This Study

Nassani et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69abc0de5af8044f7a4e97ad https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1730536

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