Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the age of onset of disease symptoms, the age at diagnosis, and cognitive function in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: Sixty-two patients diagnosed with pSS who presented to the Sakarya Training and Research Hospital Internal Medicine Rheumatology outpatient clinic between November 2021 and November 2022 were included in the study. Parameters such as age at diagnosis, age at symptom onset, fibromyalgia status, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score, insomnia, fatigue, learning disability, and number of comorbidities were recorded. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score was used to evaluate cognitive function. The scale ranges from 0 to 30, with a threshold value set at 21. Scores of 21 and above were considered normal. Independent samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests were used for data comparison.

Results:  Patients  with  MoCA  values  less  than  21  were  significantly  older.  In  the  study,  the  age  at  symptom  onset  for  patients with a MoCA score<21 was significantly higher than for those with a MoCA score ≥ 21 (p<0.05). Similarly, the age at diagnosis for patients with MoC<A values<21 was significantly higher than for those with MoCA values ≥ 21 (p<0.05). The impaired group (MoCA<21) comprised 20 individuals, representing 32.2%±3% of the cohort, while the non-impaired group consisted of 42 individuals, accounting for 67.7%±4% of the patients (p<0.001).

A negative correlation was detected between age at the onset of symptoms (r=-0.376, p=0.003), disease diagnosis age (r=-0.297, p=0.019), and the MoCA value.

Conclusion:  In  our  study,  a  negative  correlation  was  found  between  age  at  the  onset  of  symptoms,  age  at  diagnosis,  and MoCA values. Early diagnosis and treatment of SS can minimize cognitive dysfunction that may develop during the disease process. Maintaining high cognitive function will positively affect the quality of life.

Keywords: cognitive dysfunction, Sjögren’s syndrome, disease age

Copyright and license

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open-access article published by Bolu İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Dilek G, Kalçık Unan M, Açıkgöz SB, Acat T, Erdik N, Türk SM, et al. Do age at disease diagnosis and age at symptom onset affect cognitive functions in Sjögren’s syndrome?. Northwestern Med J. 2026;6(2):144-8. https://doi.org/10.54307/2026.NWMJ.193

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