Corneal sub‐basal nerve plexus assessment and its association with phenotypic features and lymphocyte subsets in Sjögren's Syndrome

Purpose To assess and compare corneal sub‐basal nerve plexus morphology with circulating lymphocyte subsets, immunologic status and disease activity in Sjögren syndrome (SjS) patients. Methods Fifty‐five SjS patients, 63 Sicca patients (not fulfilling SjS criteria), 18 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 20 healthy controls (HC) were included. Systemic disease activity in SjS was assessed with the ESSDAI score. Lymphocyte subpopulations were studied with flow cytometry. Corneal confocal microscopy and ImageJ software were used to characterize corneal sub‐basal nerve plexus in terms of nerve density (CNFD), length (CNFL) and tortuosity (CNFT). Conventional dry eye tests were also performed. Results CNFL and CNFD were lower in SjS, Sicca and RA groups, compared to HC (p