Several new, potentially disease-modifying drugs in the pipeline have renewed clinical optimism. St. Clair says existing treatment options include sialagogues such as pilocarpine and cevimeline that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of glandular manifestations of Sjögren syndrome.
Avoiding foods that tend to exacerbate symptoms including alcohol, caffeine, acidic foods, and spicy foods.
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.
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.
Plaquenil is one of the safest drugs used to treat Sjögren's. It can especially be helpful for Sjögren's arthritis, fatigue, and rashes. It is important to get two eye tests done every year to make sure that it doesn't cause any eye problems.
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.
In Sjögren's syndrome, the immune system attacks the tear and saliva glands, and other secretory glands throughout the body. The reasons for this remains unknown, but research suggests that it's triggered by a combination of genetic, environmental and, possibly, hormonal factors.
The disorder can affect the nervous system, muscles, joints, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels, liver, and pancreas. Sjögren's syndrome is a long-lasting disorder that affects females more often than men.
Over time, the immune system for people with Sjogren's syndrome can damage other parts of your body, including joints, nerves, skin, and organs such as kidneys, liver, and lungs. These long-term consequences can be quite debilitating.
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.
Patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) frequently have irritable bowel like symptoms (IBS). Some have celiac sprue.
Avoid foods that dry your mouth
You should also avoid sugary foods that can contribute to rapid tooth decay, which is already increased by lower saliva production in Sjogren's syndrome.
Since vitamin B12 deficiency can cause a form of anaemia, some people with Sjögren's syndrome may benefit from taking a supplement.
Lotions are not typically moisturizing enough for patients with Sjögren's. The best ointments are Vaseline® or Aquaphor®. If an ointment is too greasy for your taste, cream moisturizers like CeraVe®, VanicreamTM, Eucerin®, or Aveeno®can be used.
Fatigue is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, defined as a feeling of physical tiredness and lack of energy (5). The prevalence of fatigue in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is approximately 65-70%, and often reported as the most debilitating symptom (6).
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.
Overview. Sjogren's (SHOW-grins) syndrome is a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and a dry mouth. The condition often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
"Patients with Sjögren's syndrome experience chronic dryness of the eyes and mouth as well as other parts of the body, and thus have a hampered ability to cry. This may affect their ability to express their emotions and they often have to rely on words and facial expressions instead of tears as a result" said Ms.
People with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) are at an increased risk of developing heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular health problems compared with the general population, a new study reports.
There are several infectious agents that are suspected to play significant roles in the development of SS, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein–Barr virus, hepatitis C virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1), Staphylococcus saccharolyticus, and Heliobacter pylori (Table 2).
Patients with Sjögren disease may commonly have root, cervical, or incisal/cuspal tip dental caries, accumulation of plaque, gingivitis, and/or periodontitis. Sjögren disease may also be associated with the following oral health complications: Oral infections such as candidiasis. Enlargement of salivary glands.