Dry mouth, mouth sores, dental decay, difficulty with chewing, speech, taste and dentures. Swollen, painful parotid/salivary glands. Difficulty swallowing, heartburn, reflux, esophagitis. Fatigue, vasculitis, lymphoma, dry skin, skin sensitivity to UV light.
Avoiding foods that tend to exacerbate symptoms including alcohol, caffeine, acidic foods, and spicy foods.
Studies indicate that Sjogren's patients experience more physical fatigue than mental fatigue. These patients also report intense daytime sleepiness, an indicator of physical exhaustion. Some who suffer may experience severe symptoms, while others have mild symptoms.
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.
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.
Patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) frequently have irritable bowel like symptoms (IBS). Some have celiac sprue.
Gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying) occurs in Sjögren's (30-70%), and, similar to Diabetes, causes upper abdominal pain/fullness/nausea. Gastric parietal cells can be destroyed leading to B12 deficiency.
Phase two showed that people with Sjogren's syndrome tended to have problematic sleep. These patients would have more nighttime awakenings and have lower sleep efficiency, meaning they spent more time in bed without sleeping. The patients with Sjogren's had an overall lower quality of sleep [8].
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.
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.
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.
You may experience dryness in your nose or throat or on your skin. Sjögren's syndrome can also affect the joints, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, digestive organs and nerves, causing symptoms such as: Swollen glands, specifically behind the jaw and in front of the ears.
Nearly half of the patients with SS develop cutaneous manifestations, which may include dry skin (xeroderma), palpable and nonpalpable purpura, and/or urticaria-like lesions.
Ear lesions, leading to severe sensorineural hearing loss may be an early manifestation of SS, even if it is also a less common feature of other autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis.
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.
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]. Moreover, unpredictable course of the disease and increased risk of developing lymphoma may additionally affect psychological status of pSS patients [15].
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).
an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) – which can cause tiredness and weight gain.
A common symptom of Sjogren's syndrome is acid reflux, also known as gastric reflux or heartburn. Sometimes, gastric reflux may progress into a more serious condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease. Saliva is known to neutralize the effect of stomach acid that is refluxed into the upper digestive tract.
The main symptoms are dry eyes and mouth, but other parts of the body may be affected as well, with many people reporting fatigue and joint and muscle pain. In addition, the disease can damage the lungs, kidneys, and nervous system. Sjögren's syndrome predominantly affects women.
AIMS Patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) are reported to have an increased severity of irritating bladder symptoms, including urinary frequency and urgency.
Affected patients may also experience complex neurological symptoms characterized by extremity paresthesia and pain as well as dizziness and presyncope.
Association between Sjögren's syndrome and dementia
The overall pooled results showed that SS was associated with an increased risk of dementia (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.15–1.33, p < 0.001).