Along with symptoms of extensive dryness, other serious complications include profound fatigue, chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies, and lymphomas.
As a systemic disease, affecting the entire body, symptoms may remain steady or worsen overtime. There is no one single progression of the disease and this can make it challenging for patients and their physicians. While some people experience mild discomfort, others suffer debilitating symptoms that greatly impair their functioning. Early diagnosis and proper treatments are important as they may prevent serious complications and greatly improve a patient's quality of life.
About half of the time Sjögren's occurs alone, and the other half it occurs in the presence of another autoimmune connective tissue disease such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, or Scleroderma.
In addition, Sjögren's is often misrepresented as a rare disease, however it is estimated that there are four million Americans living with this disease, making it one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases.
Symptoms
While many patients experience dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue and joint pain, Sjögren's can also cause dysfunction of organs such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal system, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the central nervous system. Patients also have a higher chance of developing lymphoma.
Diagnosis
A challenge with Sjögren's is that it can mimic other conditions and diseases, giving it a higher chance to be overlooked or misdiagnosed.Nine out of ten diagnosed patients are women, however Sjögren's can be diagnosed in all ages, races and genders. This includes a larger male population with Sjögren's as well as a growing number of patients being diagnosed under 18.
Treatment
Patients need to remember to be pro-active in talking with their physicians and dentists about their symptoms and potential treatment options as this may help prevent serious complications later on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse our list of F.A.Q.s for answers to commonly asked questions about Sjögren's.
See AlsoWhat is Sjögren’s Syndrome?Membership
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Resources
Resources for patients, caretakers and healthcare professionals, including brochures and resource sheets, information for your doctor, and educational videos.
Glossary
Definitions of the most common terms you will come across as you learn more about Sjögren's.
Ask the Doctor
Questions submitted will be used in the Q&A section of our patient newsletterConquering Sjögren's,as posts for our blog, and topics for our National Patient Conference.
