[The morphological characteristics of the changes in the gastrointestinal tract in Sjögren's disease and Sjögren's syndrome].

Biopsies from 60 patients with Sjögren's disease and syndrome are studied. Alterations in the stomach, duodenum and colon were of the immune gastroduodenosigmoiditis type with morphological manifestations of cytolysis. Antibodies seem to take part in the mechanism of the exocrine gland lesions particularly in subacute course of the disease. The differences are detected in the degree of the digestion organs involvement as well as in the cell composition of inflammatory infiltrate in the subacute and chronic Sjögren disease. The lack of the connective tissue changes typical for the rheumatic diseases prevents the inclusion of Sjögren's syndrome into this group of diseases.