Association between three autoimmune diseases: vitiligo, primary biliary cirrhosis, and Sjögren's syndrome

ABSTRACT

Abstract Although the association of multiple autoimmune diseases has already been widely described, no reports of the association between vitiligo, primary biliary cirrhosis and Sjogren's syndrome were retrieved in the SciELO and PubMed databases. The authors describe the case of a female patient who was diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis and Sjogren's syndrome at age 54. At age 58, she developed vitiligo restricted to the face, associated with significant impairment of self-esteem and quality of life. Antinuclear antibody was negative at the onset of the condition, but became positive after phototherapy initiation. In general, the occurrence of multiple autoimmune diseases in the same patient is known as a mosaic of autoimmunity. However, specific mechanisms appear to interconnect primary biliary cirrhosis and Sjogren's syndrome, such as PDC-E2-mediated generalized epithelitis.