What Is Sjogrens Disease?

What is Sjogren’s Syndrome?

Sjogrens Syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins) is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own moisture glands. This disease can affect as many as four million Americans and affects nine out of ten women. The average age of Sjogrens is late 40s, although it can occur in all age groups in men and women.

What are the Symptoms?
The main symptoms of Sjogrens Syndrome is dry mouth and dry eyes (known as Sicca Syndrome) but may, also, cause dryness in the organs such as the central nervous system, the GI tract, the blood vessels, the kidneys, lungs, and the liver. Other symptoms include dry nose, trouble speaking, a change in the sense of smell or taste, dry skin, and fatigue.

Who treats Sjogrens?
Rheumatologists generally treat Sjogrens. Ophthalmologists and dentists are, also, highly qualified to treat Sjogrens.

How easy is it to diagnose Sjogrens?
Sjogrens Syndrome is often misdiagnosed or under diagnosed because the symptoms mimic other systemic diseases such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Multiple Sclerosis (MS). But because all of the symptoms do not come up at once, doctors will often treat one symptom at a time and do not recognize a systemic disease is present.

If Sjogrens is suspected, your doctor may run blood tests to determine if you have high levels of antibodies that are indicative of the disease, such as anti-nuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor (Sjogrens frequently occurs secondary to RA).

A Schirmer’s Test can be done by your ophthalmologist to determine if the dryness in your eyes is caused by Sjogrens. A Schirmer’s Test measures to see how much tear film you have. This is conducted by the technician putting an anesthetic drop into your eyes and inserting little strips of paper that have numbers edged into them. She will have you close your eyes for five minutes. After five minutes has passed, she will pull the inserts out and record the amount of moisture you have. If the moisture in your eyes is 5mm or less, then there is the possibility that you may have Sjogrens

Treatment:
Many symptoms of Sjogrens can be treated with over-the-counter medications such as preservative-free artificial tears, artificial salivas, vaginal lubricants, nasal sprays, and unscented body lotions. Prescription meds may include Lacriserts or Restasis, which is used to give relief for dry eyes. Salagen and Evoxac are available to treat dry mouth. Depending on severity, your doctor may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or immunosuppressive drugs. Some other, non-medicine remedies are to get a humidifier and to wear eye protective googles.