Sjogren's Syndrome - an auto immune disorder Home page
If you have found your way here you probably have Sjogren's Syndrome or know someone who does. May be you are not well and have not been given a diagnosis yet. Here you will find a collection of items about Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) and auto immunity both from the medical community and from personal experiences.
Sjogren's (pronounced show grins) is an auto immune disorder. This is a condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign invaders and directs war against them. With Sjogren's the main tissues attacked are the exocrine glands - the sweat glands. It can have more general effects such as fatigue and aching joints or muscles.
Who Gets Sjögren's Syndrome?
Experts believe 1 to 4 million people have the disease and 90 percent of those are women. It can occur at any age, but it usually is diagnosed after age 40 and can affect people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. It's rare in children, but it can occur.
The Online Medical Dictionary defines Sjogren's Syndrome as "An immunologic disorder characterised by progressive destruction of the exocrine glands (sweat glands, lacrimal glands, salivary glands). Symptoms include dry eyes, dry mouth, persistant cough (dry airways)and lack of saliva." Online Medical Dictionary
Dr Peter D'Adamo explains SS : "Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic disorder of unknown cause characterized by a particular form of dry mouth and dry eyes. This loss of tears and saliva may result in characteristic changes in the eyes (called aqueous tear deficiency or keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and in the mouth with deterioration of the teeth, increased oral infection, difficulty in swallowing, and painful mouth. There are many different causes for dry eyes and dry mouth. When they occur as a result of an "autoimmune" process, the condition is called Sjögren's syndrome, which usually occurs in middle-aged women and has prevalence in about 1 in 500 persons. Patients may also have inflammation of the joints (arthritis), muscles (myositis), nerves (neuropathy), thyroid (thyroiditis), kidneys (nephritis), or other areas of the body. Also, patients may have severe fatigue and disruption of their sleep pattern. Also, the blood of Sjögren's patients may contain antibodies directed against normal cellular substances such as nuclear antigens and immunoglobulins. Therefore, this disease is termed an "autoimmune" disorder to denote the apparent reaction of the immune system against the patient's own tissues." Dr D'Adamo's site
Auto immunity is an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body attacks its own cells. It is caused by a reaction similar to allergy where the immune system reacts to a normally harmless thing. In autoimmuny, the immune system reacts to normal "self" body tissues. There are more than 40 human diseases classified as autoimmune diseases. Sjogren's syndrome can develop at any age but most people are older than 40 at diagnosis and unfortunately have had symptoms for a long time. The condition is more likely to occur in women than in men and can even affect children. There is no cure for Sjogren's syndrome, but many of the symptoms can be treated. Auto List
Symptoms These vary from person to person and you may not have all of the symptoms. Some people have mild dry mouth and eyes and extreme muscle pain etc making SS harder to diagnose. Signs and symptoms of Sjogren's include:
Dry eyes
Dry mouth
Light-sensitive eyes
Corneal ulcers
Fatigue
Enlarged glands — especially salivary glands, located behind your jaw and in front of your ears
For info on complications of Sjogren's CNN's Health Library and scroll down the page.
Causes The cause of many auto immune conditions is not clear. A combination of factors cause something to go wrong with the immune system. These factors relate to heredity, hormones, viral or bacterial infections, loss of immune tolerance or the nervous system. In the case of Sjogren's syndrome, white blood cells attack and damage the moisture-producing glands. Sometimes they damage other organs, including lungs, kidneys and liver.
Diagnosis Many people with auto immune diseases find diagnosis is often delayed for years as the symptoms are misinterpreted or overlooked. The early stages are often picked up by an opthalmologist (dry eyes, blepharitis, adies tonic) or a dentist (dry mouth, many cavities). No single test is specific in diagnosing SS. The person who often determines a diagnosis is a rheumatologist. More info on diagnosis
Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. You may have been told by various doctors and specialists that you have individual symptoms or conditions such as those following but not been given the ' big picture' diagnosis of SS
blepharitis or dry eye
peripheral neuropathy
irregular emg of nerves and muscles
fibromyalgia
myalgia
depression
chronic pain
food allergies
thyroid problem
reflux
irritable bowel syndrome
optic neuritis
arthritis
raynauds
possible optic neuritis
possible MS
possible SLE
the list could go on and on
"Autoimmune diseases, and SjS in particular, pose a diagnostic puzzle for both doctor and patient, The symptoms can take years to develop fully. the disorder is systemic and cause symtoms anywhere in the patient's body." Page 32 'A Body Out of Balance.' by Ruth Fremes, M.A. & nancy Carteron, M.D.
What you can do when diagnosed "Hurrah, finally some one believes me, I am not going crazy, I am not a hypocondriac, I have Sjogren's Syndrome." Yes, diagnosis is difficult and it is just the first step. The next step is realizing that SS is usually not life threatening but it is a chronic condition that needs on going attention.
Just as we get a handle on it the symptoms can change, flare ups occur and new symptoms arrive. We must constantly re evaluate our health to get the best quality of life.
Get a good relationship with a G.P. and a rheumatologist who will help you maintain a reasonable quality of life.
A healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle may help manage your symptoms.
You need to be actively involved in your own care to find the best ways to relieve your symptoms. Smoking, poor diet, alcohol and certain medicines may aggrevate your condition.
Educate yourself about SSVisit Online:Lynne's Sjogren Syndrome Page where you can read the stories of over 40 women and men who have SS
This site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You must keep on seeking medical advice from a doctor or specialist to be diagnosed and treated.
I know absolutely nothing about medicine and am an individual who has been diagnosed, by a rheumatologist and immunologist, to have Sjogren's Syndrome and other autoimmune conditions.
