Studies on the specificity of the immunohistopathological changes of the salivary glands in Sjögren's syndrome.

Recently focal lip salivary gland lymphocytic infiltrates, identical to those found in Sjögren's syndrome, has been described in myasthenia gravis, bone marrow transplant recipients and various connective tissue diseases, in the latter conditions without relation to the salivary gland function. In the bone marrow transplant recipients, the lymphocytic infiltrates were shown to be potentially reversible. The findings are summarized, the relation between histopathological alterations and organ functions and the diagnostic specificity of focal lymphocytic infiltrates in lip salivary glands are discussed.