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Sjögren’s syndrome

What is Sjögren’s syndrome?

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is another autoimmune disease. Like many autoimmune diseases, it seems to affect more women than men.The prevalence of SS isn’t known because much of it goes undiagnosed. Some estimates are that there are at least 1 million Americans affected by SS and maybe as many as 4 million, although the American government has SS listed as a “rare” disease, which means there should be fewer people with SS.You can have the disease alone or you can have it with another autoimmune disease, such as arthritis or lupus. While the most common areas affected by SS are the salivary glands and tear ducts, the disease can also affect body organs, like the lungs and kidneys, as well as the joints and nerves.

What are the symptoms?

• Change in sense of taste
• Dental cavities
• Difficulty swallowing or chewing
• Dry cough that doesn’t produce sputum
• Dry eyes
• Dry mouth
• Enlarged parotid salivary glands, found behind your jaw and in front of your ears
• Fatigue
• Hoarseness

• Joint pain, swelling and stiffness

• Oral yeast infections, such as candidiasis
• Skin rashes or dry skin

• Vaginal dryness

 Why does it cause pain?

The pain from SS can be caused by many things, such as painful swelling in the parotid glands and joints, pain from yeast infections, nerve damage, and organ damage.

What can be done?

There is no cure for SS. Doctors try to manage the symptoms. This includes using eye drops to lubricate dry eyes, saliva substitutes and drinking a lot of water to keep the mouth moist, treatment for yeast infections, as well as some medications usually used for arthritis if the joints or body organs are affected.

For more in-depth information, here are some sites that have reliable and up-to-date information:

National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation

MayoClinic.com

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By Marijke Durning, RN -- 0 comments