Prevalence and Demographic Characteristics of Sjögren's Syndrome in Colombia, Based on Information from the Official Ministry of Health Registry

Objective: To calculate the prevalence and describe the main demographic characteristics of Sjögren's syndrome in adults in Colombia. Material and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study which utilized data from the Integral Information System of Social Protection of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Colombia during the years 2012 to 2016. Results: 58,680 cases of Sjögren's syndrome were identified, with a prevalence in those over 18 years of age of 0.12%; 82% were women, with a female:male ratio of 4.6:1, with a higher prevalence in the age group of 65 to 69 years. The departments with the highest numbers of cases were Bogotá DC (24,885), Antioquia (9,040) and Valle del Cauca (5,277); however, the departments with the highest prevalences were Caldas (0.42%), Bogotá DC (0.32%) and Antioquia (0.14%). Conclusions: We present demographic and epidemiological information on Sjögren's syndrome in Colombia. There are very few epidemiological studies of this disorder. However, a prevalence similar to that reported in countries of the region such as Brazil (0.17%) and Argentina (0.17%) was documented.