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Table 4 Main SS-related features of the 17 SS-HCV patients with anti-La antibodies in comparison with the 200 SS patients with anti-La antibodies without HCV infection
| Anti-La+ SS patients with HCV infection | Anti-La+ SS patients with no HCV infection | Bilateral P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 17 | N = 200 | ||
| Mean age, years | 59.59 ± 11.87 | 51.04 ± 15.77 | 0.03 |
| Sex, male | 4 (23 %) | 8 (4 %) | 0.009* |
| Dry mouth | 16 (94 %) | 197 (99 %) | 0.280 |
| Dry eye | 17 (100 %) | 196 (98 %) | 1.000 |
| Altered ocular tests | 15/16 (94 %) | 176/187 (94 %) | 1.000 |
| Altered parotid scintigraphy | 9/10 (90 %) | 151/165 (91 %) | 0.602 |
| Positive salivary gland biopsy | 3/3 (100 %) | 55/61 (90 %) | 1.000 |
| Antinuclear antibody+ | 14 (82 %) | 170/199 (85 %) | 0.723 |
| Rheumatoid factor+ | 13/17 (77 %) | 112/191 (59 %) | 0.199 |
| Anti-Ro/SS-A+ | 12 (71 %) | 178 (89 %) | 0.044 |
| Monoclonal gammopathy | 7/13 (54 %) | 33/166 (20 %) | 0.01 |
| Type of monoclonal band | |||
| - mIgA | 0 (0 %) | 3 (9 %) | 0.87 |
| - mIgG | 4 (57 %) | 17 (52 %) | |
| - mIgM | 2 (29 %) | 9 (27 %) | |
| - Free chains | 1 (14 %) | 4 (12 %) | |
| Type of monoclonal light chain | |||
| - Kappa:lambda | 2:5 | 23:10 | 0.041 |
| Cryoglobulin+ | 9 (53 %) | 19/188 (10 %) | <0.001 |
| Low C3 levels, <0.82 g/l | 9 (53 %) | 22/196 (11 %) | <0.001* |
| Low C4 levels, <0.11 g/l | 11 (65 %) | 14/196 (7 %) | <0.001* |
| Hematological neoplasia | 0 (0 %) | 7 (3.5 %) | 1.000 |
| Neoplasia | 4 (23.5 %) | 17 (8.5 %) | 0.067 |
| Death | 7 (41 %) | 16 (8 %) | 0.001 |
