How serious is Sjogren's?

Sjogren's is a serious condition, but timely treatment can mean that complications are less likely to develop, and tissue damage is less likely to occur. Once treated, an individual can usually manage the condition well. Sjogren's can develop at any age, but most diagnoses occur after the age of 40 years.

Is sjogrens a progressive disease?

Sjögren syndrome (SS) is a common, slowly progressive autoimmune disease that exhibits a wide range of organ-specific and systemic manifestations.

What organs are affected by Sjogren's syndrome?

Sjögren's syndrome can also affect other body organ systems. These organs include the skin, joints, muscles, blood, lung, heart, kidney, and nerves.

What is the life expectancy of Sjögren's syndrome?

In most people with Sjögren syndrome, dry eyes and dry mouth are the primary features of the disorder, and general health and life expectancy are largely unaffected.

What are the long term effects of Sjogren's?

If Sjögren's syndrome isn't treated appropriately, significant, long-term complications could result that affect your eyes, mouth, lungs, kidneys, liver or lymph nodes — complications including blindness, significant dental destruction and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Sjögren's syndrome

How fast does Sjogren's progress?

The condition may progress slowly, so the typical symptoms of dry eyes and mouth may take years to show. However, rapid onset can also occur. Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and the progression is often unpredictable.

Can Sjogren's turn into lupus?

Most often, the co-occurring autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis. Other individuals with secondary Sjogren's may have lupus, scleroderma, primary biliary cirrhosis, or a different kind of autoimmune disease.

Does Sjogren's get worse over time?

Symptoms are mild in most people but can be very severe in others. Symptoms can vary over time and may improve, worsen, or even go away completely for periods.

Can you live a normal life with Sjogren's syndrome?

Although life expectancy is not typically affected, patients' quality of life is, and considerably. Secretory glands don't work, resulting in dryness in the eyes, mouth, throat, and other organs, along with complications such as pain, fatigue, and digestive problems.

Can sjogrens cause death?

pSS is not associated with an increase in all-cause mortality as compared with the general population. However, a subset of patients with extraglandular involvement, vasculitis, hypocomplementaemia and cryoglobulinaemia may be at increased risk of mortality and require close follow-up.

What should I avoid with Sjogren's syndrome?

Individuals who experience severe xerostomia tend to avoid crunchy foods such as raw vegetables, dry or tough foods such as meats and breads, and sticky foods such as peanut butter. Xerostomia can also affect dental health.

What does Sjogren's pain feel like?

Your joints may be painful and swollen due to inflammation, or you might feel that various parts of your body, such as your muscles, are achy and tender. Some people with this condition have headaches and migraines.

What triggers Sjogren's syndrome?

Causes. Share on Pinterest Sjogren's is caused by white blood cells mistakenly attacking moisture-producing glands. The causes of Sjogren's remain largely unknown. Studies have indicated that a viral or bacterial infection may trigger the disease, but that the underlying cause is primarily genetic and environmental.

What are the stages of Sjögren's syndrome?

We divided SS patients into three stages: stage I is glandular SS, stage II is extraglandular SS, and stage III is extraglandular SS with lymphoid malignancy. The lymphoaggressive nature of the disease appears to lead SS patients from stage I to II and from stage II to III.

Does having Sjogren's mean you are immunocompromised?

Are patients with Sjögren's Immunocompromised/Immunosuppressed? Not all Sjögren's patients have compromised immune systems. This specific risk factor is for those who regularly take drugs to suppress the immune system.

Does Sjogren's qualify for disability?

While Sjögren's syndrome initially causes dry eyes and mouth, it can also progress to cause fatigue and wreak havoc on various organs of the body. Severe cases of Sjögren's may qualify Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI) disability benefits.

Can stress make sjogrens worse?

Managing this condition

Jonas: Well, like all autoimmune diseases, patients who feel stressed or are under unusual stress will often have exacerbation of their symptoms. Learning to manage that stress in your life is very important.

How do you stop Sjogren's progression?

Eat well and often. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is one of the ways to reduce Sjogren's syndrome flares and provide adequate nutrition, thereby reducing fatigue. Ensure that your diet consists of food with high fiber, healthy fats, and spices such as garlic, ginger, and turmeric.

What were your first symptoms of Sjogren's?

What is the best treatment for Sjogren's syndrome?

Treat systemwide symptoms.

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), a drug designed to treat malaria, is often helpful in treating Sjogren's syndrome. Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as methotrexate (Trexall), also might be prescribed.

Can Sjogren's cause blindness?

If not properly treated Sjogren's syndrome can lead to ulcers of the cornea (the clear covering of the eyeball). On rare occasions this can cause blindness. There are three set of glands that produce saliva.

Can Sjogren's syndrome affect the brain?

Patients with Sjögren's syndrome may have another autoimmune disorder called “Devic's syndrome,” or “Neuromyelitis Optica.” Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) causes inflammation of the nerves connecting the eye to the brain, or “optic neuritis,” as well as myelitis.

Which is worse lupus or sjogrens?

The prognosis with SS is generally better than that of other autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Patients with just exocrine gland involvement do not appear to have increased mortality.

What is a positive result for Sjogren's?

Antinuclear Antibody (ANA): The ANA test is positive in the majority of Sjögren's syndrome patients. However, a positive ANA test is also common in healthy individuals. The ANA test is most commonly performed using a technique that involves immunofluorescent staining of human cells grown in tissue culture (Figure 3).

Is primary Sjogren's worse than secondary?

SSc appears to be less severe in patients with SS-SSc than SSc alone with a lower frequency of lung fibrosis (P = 0.05). Compared with patients with pSS or SSc alone, SS-SSc patients were more likely to have another autoimmune disorder and other autoantibodies (SS-SSc vs pSS, P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively).