Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage as an initial manifestation of primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a case report

BACKGROUND: Sjögren’s syndrome can involve the central nervous system; however, spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage has rarely been reported as the initial manifestation. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 39-year-old woman with primary Sjögren’s syndrome presenting with intracranial hemorrhage. The diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome was based on the presence of ocular dryness, salivary gland secretory and excretory dysfunction confirmed with dynamic tracer emission CT, and positive anti-Sjögren’s syndrome A and anti-Sjögren’s syndrome B antibodies. CONCLUSION: Primary Sjögren’s syndrome can present with variable central nervous system signs, which may precede the classic sicca symptoms. Therefore, Sjögren’s syndrome-associated indicators should be investigated in patients without the common risk factors for stroke who present with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.