Sjogren's syndrome is a medical disorder that most frequently produces dry eyes and mouth.
It is a form of autoimmune disease.
It can be Primary and Secondary if it occurs with other autoimmune diseases:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus.
Scleroderma
There is lymphocytic invasion of exocrine glands, inducing the main symptoms of:
Xerophthalmia (dry eyes),
Xerostomia (dry mouth) and
Enlargement of the parotid glands
The causes are
Genetic:
There is a genetic predisposition for the disorder but the HLA link changes among ethnic groups.
Development of complications such as neuropathy and lymphoma may tend to be common in patients with vitamin D deficiency.
Nine out of ten people who have the disorder are women.
People normally first begin noticing symptoms when they are in their 30s or 40s.
Symptoms are:
Dry mouth
Dry Eyes
Dry mouth
Other symptoms may be:
Fatigue
Fever
Change in the color of hands or feet
Joint pain or joint swelling
Swollen glands
Autoimmune screening tests may then show a positive rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibodies
Dryness of the mucosa of the trachea and bronchi may manifest as a dry cough
The dryness of the pharynx and esophagus may cause difficulty in swallowing, and lack of saliva and secretions may predispose to gastro-esophageal reflux
There can be dry skin and vaginal dryness causing dyspareunia
Disease of the pancreas can lead to malabsorption and even acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis but a frequent cause of raised serum amylase is parotitis.
Fatigue is a common feature
About 20% have Raynaud's phenomenon.
The treatment is to relieve the symptoms as there is no cure.
Dry eyes may be treated with artificial tears, eye-lubricating ointments, or cyclosporine eye drop
Other medicines may be:
a. Steroids: these are tablets taken by mouth that assist to decrease inflammation.
They may be given if the symptoms are particularly bad.
b. Immunosuppressive agents: these are medicines that suppress the abnormal antibody production in Sjogren's syndrome
Medicines are methotrexate, penicillamine and hydroxychloroquine.
Sjogren's syndrome is not normally life-threatening.