Sjogren's Syndrome Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Sjogren's Syndrome is an immunity-related health disorder that develops when the glands in your body that create and regulate moisture are adversely affected. The most typical sign is persistent and unusual dryness in the lips and eyes.

What is Sjogren's Syndrome?

Symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome

• Dryness in the mouth: A dry mouth is a common symptom that could feel gritty or harsh. One may face difficulty swallowing or even speaking. In the long term, this can lead to oral infections like candidiasis, cavities, and other dental issues.
• Dryness of eyes: Another symptom is dryness in the eyes that gives a burning or itching sensation. It may also cause blurred vision or sensitivity to light.

Some Sjogren' Syndromes may also give rise to one or more of the following symptoms:

• Stiffness, swelling, and joint pain
• Enlarged salivary glands, especially those in front of your ears and below your jaw
• Dryness of the skin and rashes on the skin
• Dryness in the nose, throat, and lips
• Dryness in the vagina
• Persistent dry cough
• Numbness in the arms and legs
• Burning sensation on the chest
• Headache and muscle pains
• A change in taste or smell
• Difficulty breathing
• Feeling exhausted

Causes of Sjogren's Syndrome

Diagnosis of Sjogren's Syndrome

Blood Examinations :

• Quantity of various blood cell types
• Common antibodies associated with Sjogren's Syndrome
• Indications of inflammatory diseases
• Problems with your kidneys or liver

Eye Tests:

• The Schirmer tear test is an effective way of finding dryness in your eyes. It involves placing a little piece of filter paper beneath your lower eyelid to gauge how many tears you produce.
• An ophthalmologist may also use a magnification instrument called a slit lamp to inspect the surface of your eyes.

Imaging:

• Sialogram: A dye is injected into the salivary glands in front of your ears, and a particular imaging technique is used to identify the amount of saliva that enters your mouth.
• Scintigraphy: In this particular medicine test, a radioactive material is injected into a vein, and its distribution to your salivary glands is monitored for a specific time
• Biopsy: In order to identify the existence of inflammatory cell clusters that might cause Sjogren's Syndrome, the doctor may take out a tiny piece of tissue from your salivary glands and examine it under a microscope.

Treatment of Sjogren's Syndrome

Medications

• Your eye doctor may prescribe eye drops to moisten your eyes if you have moderate to severe dryness in the eyes.
• Some medicines, like cevimeline (Evoxac) and pilocarpine (Salagen), might be helpful in increasing saliva and tears.
• To address specific issues like arthritis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be effective.
• A medicine used to treat malaria, like hydroxychloroquine or Plaquenil, is also beneficial in treating SSjogren's disease.
• Medication that suppresses the immune system, including methotrexate, may also be recommended.

Surgery

Risk Factors for Sjogren's Syndrome

• Age: Sjogren's Syndrome typically affects people 40 years of age and older, while it can sometimes strike younger people, including children.
• Gender: The risk of developing Sjogren's Syndrome in women is up to ten times higher than in men. The impact that sex hormones have on an immune system could be connected to this imbalance.
• Existence of rheumatic disease: Sjogren's Syndrome is more likely to occur in a person who has a rheumatic disease, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.