Sjögren's syndrome--a house of cards.

Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune rheumatic disease that is the result of the interplay between a number of environmental and genetic factors. In this short review an analogy is suggested with a game of cards in which each card is marked with a particular feature. A particular set of cards when dealt together could constitute Sjögren's syndrome if the hand includes cards marked for female sex, HLA DRS, anti Ro antibodies, anti La antibodies, exposure to retroviruses etc.