What does Sjögren's joint 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 are the hallmark symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome?

The hallmark symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome are extreme dry eyes and mouth. Some people also experience joint pain, swelling and/or stiffness. Sjögren's syndrome that occurs by itself is called primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Does Sjogren's cause muscle pain?

Sjögren's syndrome can also cause swollen or painful joints, muscle pain or weakness, dry skin, rashes, brain fog (poor concentration or memory), numbness and tingling sensations in the arms and legs due to nerve involvement, heartburn, kidney problems and swollen lymph nodes.

Is sjogrens joint pain symmetrical?

The shoulders, hips and knees may also be painful. The arthritis usually “comes and goes” and affects the same joints in the right and left limbs in a “symmetric” fashion. Joint x-rays are usually normal. In a recent series, this type of arthritis was present in 35% of 188 primary SS patients (6).

What is Sjogren's arthritis?

Sjögren's syndrome occurs in two basic forms: primary Sjögren's syndrome -- the disease by itself and not associated with any other illness; and secondary Sjögren's syndrome -- disease that develops in the presence of another autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or vasculitis.

Sjögren’s Syndrome : Signs and Symptoms

What joints are affected by Sjogren's?

Tenderness and swelling of the joints, when present, are indicative of inflammatory arthritis. In Sjögren's syndrome, this type of arthritis usually affects the fingers, wrists and ankles. The shoulders, hips and knees may also be painful.

What does Sjögren's fatigue feel like?

Sjogren's Syndrome patients often complain of mental fatigue or “brain fog.” Brain fog impairs focus, causes fuzzy concentration, and contributes to difficulty in problem-solving.

Does sjogrens affect tendons and ligaments?

It primarily affects the moisture producing glands in the mouth and eyes. However, because Sjogren's is a rheumatic disease it can also affect the joints, tendons, ligaments, bones and muscles causing pain, swelling, redness and interfere with function.

Does Sjogren's cause back pain?

Prevalence of inflammatory back pain and radiologic sacroiliitis is increased in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Can you have sjogrens without dry eyes?

It is, in fact, possible to have Sjogren's without dry eyes, although it is rare. Sjogren's presents different symptoms for different patients. Although dry eyes are one of the most common symptoms, you may experience some combination of: Dry eyes.

Does Sjogren's affect your feet?

By Julius Birnbaum, M.D. The neurological complications of Sjögren's syndrome are extensive and range from cognitive difficulties, to burning toes and feet.

What triggers a Sjogren's flare?

Autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren's syndrome are highly likely to be triggered by environmental factors such as pollution, infections, certain medications, diet, and allergy-causing agents. Make a note of potential environmental triggers, and try to steer clear of them as much as possible.

What drugs make sjogrens worse?

Avoid medicines that are known to cause dry eyes. These include antihistamines, diuretics, and some antidepressants. Talk with your doctor if you take any of these medicines. Sometimes the benefits of a medicine outweigh the risks.

What does a Sjogren's tongue look like?

a smooth, red tongue. a change in how food tastes. dry, sore and cracked skin at the corners of your lips. problems such as tooth decay, gum disease, mouth ulcers, and oral thrush (a fungal infection that can cause a raw, red or white tongue)

How does a rheumatologist diagnose Sjogren's syndrome?

Blood and urine tests, to look for the presence of antibodies common in Sjögren's syndrome. The results of an ANA (antinuclear antibody) test will determine if you have an autoimmune disorder. Schirmer's test, to see if your tear glands are producing enough tears to keep your eyes moist.

Does Sjogren's cause night sweats?

Xavier Mariette in The New England Journal of Medicine listed possible manifestations of Sjogren's in lymph nodes, lungs, kidneys, muscles, nervous system, skin and brain, as well as various glands and joints. Some patients experience constitutional symptoms like fever, involuntary weight loss or night sweats.

Does Sjogren's show up in blood test?

In Sjögren's syndrome, the immune system produces antibodies that attack healthy areas of the body. These can be found during a blood test. But not everyone with Sjögren's syndrome has these antibodies, so you may have the condition even if a blood test does not find them.

What does plaquenil do for sjogrens?

Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine, HCQ): Since Sjögren's is an autoimmune disease where the immune system is overactive, medications that calm down the immune system are sometimes needed. Plaquenil is one of the safest drugs used to treat Sjögren's. It can especially be helpful for Sjögren's arthritis, fatigue, and rashes.

Does sjogrens affect cartilage?

Primary SS has the potential todevelop systematic manifestations that entangle the musculoskeletal system, mostly involving the bony, synovial, and cartilaginous tissue, leaving the muscular system unscathed through a general motive of chronic, neuropathic myalgia [15].

Can Sjogren's cause leg weakness?

Motor impairment due to neuropathy has not been widely recognized until now in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (3, 4). However, this severe complication of Sjögren's syndrome with fulminant development of limb weakness but favorable outcome after immunosuppressive therapy was described in several case reports (5–9).

Can Sjogren's cause plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, and distal patellar tendon were significantly thicker in the PSS group than in the healthy controls. This result suggests that PSS may be one of the causes of musculoskeletal pain that can be seen in patients with PSS.

Can you have sjogrens with negative ANA?

A negative ANA test does not exclude the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome; some of these individuals may still have SS-A and/or SS-B antibodies. With the immunofluorescent staining test, the pattern of nuclear staining is reported. Most Sjögren's patients have either a speckled or homogeneous pattern.

What vitamins help Sjogren's?

What does Sjogren's rash look like?

Sjogren's syndrome patients often develop a purple-to-red rash that does not lighten when pressure is applied. They may also show purpura (rashes with blood spots) that's indicative of vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels). If you observe any of these rashes on your skin, consult a dermatologist.

What mimics Sjogren's syndrome?

Certain diseases affecting salivary and lacrimal glands such as sarcoidosis, IgG4-related disease, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV infections, and graft-versus-host disease can mimic Sjögren's syndrome, usually via a process of similar inflammation of affected glands.