Identifying and minimizing stressors is another important aspect of living well with Sjogren's. Chronic stress can trigger flare-ups. Having a good support system can make a tremendous difference when living with a chronic illness.
Sjögren's is characterized by the immune system attacking the glands that produce secretions such as tears and saliva, leading to severe dryness of the eyes and mouth. Chronic stress and stressful life events can trigger autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Falk: What kinds of factors can make Sjogren's worse? What is the effect, for example, of stress? 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.
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.
Doctors typically use steroids to treat flare-ups, when symptoms such as joint pain and rashes come on suddenly. Steroids such as prednisone or methylprednisolone are taken by mouth, and your doctor determines the dosage based on the severity of your symptoms.
Global cognitive impairment in Sjögren's
Most patients experience “brain fog” symptoms, which manifest as memory lapses, forgetfulness, mental confusion, and difficulties in concentrating, organizing, or anticipating future events.
While some people experience mild discomfort, others suffer debilitating symptoms that greatly impair their ability to function. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can prevent serious complications and greatly improve quality of life.
For Sjögren's patients, an optimal range of humidity is between 55% and 60% regardless of the ambient temperature. You can monitor the humidity in your home with a simple humidistat.
Many aspects of Sjögren's affect sleep: being too dry, in too much pain or malaise; multiple trips to the bathroom, the need for water or to put in eye ointment all deter a good sleep. Lack of restorative sleep increases fatigue.
Patients with pSS have an increased risk of newly diagnosed depressive and/or anxiety disorders and sleep disorders that may impair their quality of life [4,13,14].
Dry eyes, corneal ulcerations and infections. Dry nose, recurrent sinusitis, nosebleeds. Dry mouth, mouth sores, dental decay, difficulty with chewing, speech, taste and dentures. Swollen, painful parotid/salivary glands.
Rather, patients with Sjögren's syndrome are more at risk of having a reduced ability to cry with tears.
Poor sleep is one of the common causes of fatigue. Symptoms of pain and dryness in Sjogren's syndrome can create trouble in getting to sleep and staying asleep. Ensure you are able to minimize dryness in your throat, eyes, skin, and other organs before heading to bed. Use a humidifier in your bedroom if needed.
Avoid sugar and sugary beverages, because they can promote tooth decay, as well as coffee, alcohol, and nicotine, which can irritate the mouth. Use lip balm or ointments to soothe dry or cracked lips. A humidifier can relieve dryness in the winter or at night.
Most people who have Sjögren's syndrome live their lives without any significant problems. However, a dry mouth means that you are more likely to have dental problems, such as tooth decay and infection. Dry eyes can also place you at risk for eye infections.
In response to the sun, Sjögren's patients can experience skin rashes, ocular sensitivity, pain, and disease flares.
Sjögren's syndrome can cause nerve damage which regulates the coordination of heartbeat, respiration, and gastric motility. This is called an “autonomic neuropathy.” Examples of symptoms include lightheadedness when standing, decreased or increased sweating, and feeling full despite eating small meals.
Sun exposure may flare Sjogren's symptoms, especially in those who are SS-A positive. 2. Sjogren's patients have an increased risk of developing skin cancer. Sun exposure adds to this risk.
Age: Most people who are diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome are 40 or older, but it can affect younger individuals, including children. Gender: Women are as much as 10 times more likely to develop Sjögren's syndrome than men. This imbalance may be related to the effect of sex hormones on a woman's immune system.
People with two or fewer of these signs and symptoms have a 3.8 percent chance of developing the condition. Those with three to six risk factors have a 39.9 percent chance of developing lymphoma. People with all seven risk factors have nearly a 100 percent chance of being diagnosed with lymphoma at some point.
Venus Williams Has Sjögren's Syndrome
After winning her first round in the U.S. Open tennis tournament at age 31 in the summer of 2011, this tennis legend withdrew from play and announced she had Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes extensive dryness, fatigue, and chronic pain.
The patients with Sjogren's had an overall lower quality of sleep [8]. All of the studies in the systematic review noted that there is an increased number of nighttime awakenings in Sjogren's patients.
In multivariate analysis adjusted by age groups, gender and the comorbidities, the HR of developing dementia was 1.246 (95% CI 1.123–1.384) times greater in the pSS group than in the non‐pSS group. This result suggested that pSS was an independent risk factor for the development of dementia.
The diagnosis of SS remains a clinical challenge. In this study, we report a case of a patient with primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS) experiencing severe autonomic neuropathy symptoms characterized by dizziness and palpitations.