What is Sjögren’s syndrome?
Sjögren’s syndrome is characterized as a disease that affects the glands that generate moisture in the body. In more detail, it is an autoimmune disorder (i.e. the immune system attacks parts of its own body by mistake) that destroys the glands that produce tears and saliva, thus drying out the mouth and eyes. Such a disorder can affect other areas of the body, including the joints, blood vessels, digestive organs, nerves, kidneys and lungs. Quite often it can dry out other parts of the body that need moisture, such as the nose, skin and throat. It is classified as a rheumatic disease affecting joints, tendons, ligaments, bones and muscles. The syndrome usually starts after the age of 40 years, and most people affected by Sjögren’s syndrome. It can also sometimes be linked to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
In more detail it is an autoimmune disorder that destroys the glands that produce tears and saliva.
Prognosis of the disease
Generally this disease is not fatal, but the dryness may last for the rest of the affected person’s life. Dental deterioration and eye damage can be prevented and the symptoms can be treated. On the other hand, serious internal organ problems are rare, and if they do occur, the doctor may change treatment to control inflammation and prevent damage. Lymph node cancer is more likely to occur in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, but patients may be able to counteract the cancer if it is detected early.
Symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome
There are a large number of symptoms that can occur during Sjögren’s syndrome, which are listed below. The main symptoms are: dry eyes, burning, stinging or a feeling of dirt in the eyes. Sometimes it may cause blurred vision or sensitivity to intense light, particularly fluorescent light. Dry mouth, you may have the sensation of having chalk in your mouth or as if it were full of cotton. You may also have difficulty swallowing, speaking or distinguishing the taste of food.
On the other hand, this syndrome can also affect other parts of the body such as the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, digestive system organs and nerves. Among the symptoms that can occur are: dry skin, rashes, chronic dry cough, thyroid problems, pain in muscles and joints, vaginal dryness, numbness and tingling in arms and legs, feeling of fatigue or tiredness. As for people who suffer from dry mouth, they can easily get infections. The patient should report this to his specialist if he suffers from the following symptoms: white patches, red spots or burning areas.
Medical tests for Sjögren’s syndrome
The specialist will perform an initial complete physical examination, which may detect dry eyes and mouth or if you have mouth ulcers, tooth decay or gum inflammation due to dry mouth. The specialist may also examine your mouth to look for a fungal infection. In the same way, the doctor may observe that the patient has any skin allergy, the pulmonary examination may present abnormal results, and the patient may also have an abdominal examination to detect a possible enlargement of the liver. The joints may also be examined for possible arthritis and the nerve examination may also show differences.
Here is the list of possible tests that the specialist may perform
- Complete blood chemistry with liver enzymes.
- Complete blood count
- Urinalysis
- Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
- Rheumatoid factor
- Cryoglobulin test
- Complement levels
- Protein electrophoresis
- Hepatitis C test
- Thyroid test
- Schirmer’s tear production test
- Salivary gland biopsy
- Skin biopsy if skin allergy is present
- Eye examination
- Chest x-ray
What causes Sjögren’s syndrome?
The cause of Sjögren’s syndrome is currently unknown. As mentioned above, it is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. This disease is rare in children and is detected more frequently in women between 40 and 50 years of age. The primary syndrome is defined as dry eyes and mouth without another autoimmune disorder. As for the secondary syndrome it occurs only when it coincides with another autoimmune disorder, namely:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Scleroderma
- Polymyositis
- Hepatitis C can affect the salivary glands and resemble Sjörgen’s syndrome.
Can it be prevented?
There are many ways to prevent the syndrome. The first is regular exercise, which will help you maintain joint flexibility and muscle strength. Other activities such as walking, swimming and range of motion exercises are good resources for people suffering from this syndrome.
Treatments for Sjögren’s syndrome
The main goal of treatments for Sjögren’s syndrome is to relieve symptoms. To begin with, dry eyes can be treated with artificial tears, eye creams or liquid cyclosporine. If a candida infection is present, it can be treated with nystatin or sugar-free miconazole. Very small plugs may also be placed in the tear drainage ducts to help the tears stay on the eye.
Other measures that can be taken to soothe the symptoms are:
- Sipping water throughout the day.
- Eating sugarless chewing gum
- Avoid medications that can cause dry mouth, such as antihistamines or decongestants.
- Avoiding alcohol
- Mouth rinses to replenish mineral salts in the teeth.
- Saliva substitutes
- Drugs that help the salivary glands produce more saliva
- Brushing and flossing often, to prevent cavities due to dry mouth
- Visiting the dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings.
Which specialist treats you?
The rheumatologist is the specialist in charge of diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal and systemic autoimmune diseases. In other words, the rheumatologist is specialized in treating a series of diverse and complicated diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system and that can affect other organs and tissues such as skin, eyes, nervous system and others. In other words, if you suffer from some of the symptoms of Sjögren’s syndrome, Top Doctors has a medical team of excellence that can help you with this complex pathology.