Sjogrens Syndrome                                                                      

Sjögren's Syndrome is an autoimmune disease which affects approximately 0.5 million people in the UK. It is a condition where the body’s immune system starts attacking parts of the body instead of fighting infection, this is mainly the white cells, which travel in the blood stream. In Sjögren's Syndrome the secretary glands that produce saliva, tears, vaginal, skin, bowel and other secretions develop a form of inflammation, similar to that seen in the joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. As a result of this, these glands stop working leading to dry eyes, dry mouth, dry skin and also dryness of the gastrointestinal tract. These features, as well as being very uncomfortable and unpleasant, mean that sufferers may have difficulty swallowing foods and dryness of the large bowel can cause symptoms similar to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Sjögren's Syndrome can occur later in the course of other rheumatic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or scleroderma, this is known as Secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome. Most patients with these conditions will already be under the care of a rheumatologist who will usually make the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome as soon as the dryness symptoms are mentioned.

It can also occur, however, as a condition in its own right (Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome). It typically develops in women in their 30’s to 60’s, although it can occur at any age, 9 out of 10 sufferers are female.  Features such as generalized muscle or joint aching and fatigue can be the most prominent symptoms.  The fatigue isn’t an ordinary tiredness where you can have a good nights sleep and wake up feeling better, it’s a really quite overwhelming fatigue. In the situation where a person’s main symptom is tiredness and particularly if the dryness is not reported, the diagnosis may not be made for a long time, if at all. As a result of this, although the evidence suggests that Sjögren's Syndrome is as common as rheumatoid arthritis, there are a significant proportion of people in whom it is not being correctly diagnosed and symptoms are put down to “old” age, for example, and people are suffering in silence.

Please click one of the following links for more information: