With the presence or absence of PN as the dependent variable, factors that were significantly different on univariate analysis (disease duration, Raynaud's phenomenon, anti-SSB antibody positivity, RF positivity, hyperglobulinaemia; dichotomous variables assigned: yes = 1, no = 0) were included as independent variables in the model, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, which showed that hyperglobulinaemia, RF, and anti-SSB antibody were independent risk factors for the presence of PN in pSS (P < 0.05). This evidence concerns the gene SSB and peeling skin syndrome.