Anti-dorsal root ganglion neuron antibody in a case of dorsal root ganglionitis associated with Sjögren's syndrome.

We report the case of a 59-year-old woman with primary Sjögren's syndrome who developed hypesthesia, hypalgesia, and neurogenic arthropathy in her lower limbs. Neurological examination and electrophysiological studies indicated involvement of the dorsal root ganglia. The immunohistochemistry of sections of rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) showed that the IgG in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the patient bound to the neuronal perikarya of small DRG neurons but not to the cerebellum or peripheral nerves. These results, consistent with particular impairment of pain and touch senses, suggest that dorsal root ganglionitis in primary Sjögren's syndrome is mediated by humoral autoimmunity.