Sjogren Syndrome

Excerpt

In the early 1900s, Swedish physician Henrik Sjögren (SHOW-gren) first described a group of women whose chronic arthritis was accompanied by dry eyes and dry mouth. Today, Rheumatologists know more about the syndrome that is named for Sjögren and—most significantly for patients—can offer advice about how to live with it.

Primary Sjogren syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disorder most commonly presenting with sicca symptoms. Sicca refers to dryness most often involving the eyes and mouth due to inflammation and resultant pathology of the lacrimal and salivary glands. Up to one-half of affected individuals also develop extra-glandular involvement implying the occurrence of signs and symptoms in organs distinct from the salivary and lacrimal glands including the joints, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, nervous system, and kidneys. Sjogren syndrome frequently occurs in conjunction with other autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this setting, authors will refer to it as secondary Sjogren or Sjogren-overlap syndrome. Therapies are directed toward replacing moisture at affected glandular sites and suppressing the autoimmune response locally as well as systemically.