Ulcerative colitis and Sjogren's syndrome in the same patient: report of two cases and a review of the literature.

Two cases of coexisting ulcerative colitis and Sjogren's syndrome are presented. Both patients were women and in both ulcerative colitis preceded the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome by several years. The course of ulcerative colitis before the onset of Sjogren's syndrome was quite severe. On the basis of clinical signs and serological and immunogenetic patterns, both patients were classified as suffering from secondary Sjogren's syndrome. Although the combination of the two diseases in the same patient seems to be the result of chance, we think that this combination offers an opportunity for future studies related to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.