New research indicates that hormonal shifts throughout life, rather than abnormal hormone levels, may significantly impact susceptibility to Sjogren's disease, explaining its varied prevalence across different age groups and genders.
Traditionally viewed as overwhelmingly affecting women, a large-scale analysis of electronic health records reveals that the sex-specific prevalence of Sjogren's disease changes dynamically with age. This study analyzed over 100,000 patients with the disease and more than 1.3 million controls.
While male prevalence was highest in early childhood, it dropped significantly during puberty and adulthood before rising again in older age. These shifts closely mirrored natural changes in testosterone and estradiol levels.
Researchers found that hormone concentrations themselves did not significantly differ between patients and controls. This suggests that the timing of hormonal transitions, particularly during periods of significant endocrine change like puberty and aging, may be key to influencing autoimmune susceptibility, rather than absolute hormone levels. The findings challenge the static perception of Sjogren's disease and call for age- and sex-specific approaches in research and clinical management.