Sjogren's Syndrome
Dry eyes and dry mouth
The body system affected
The body system affected is the immune system. Sjogren's is an autoimmune disease it targets the moisture seeking glands of your eyes and mouth and takes the moisture.
Tartget Population
Most people are 40 or older when diagnosed. Between 400,000 and 3.1 million adults are affected by Sjogren's.
Onset
Researchers are still trying to figure out if Sjogren's is genetic. They also say it could be caused by an infection in your white blood cells.
How body systems work with and without Sjogren's
Body without Sjogren's
- Your mouth should feel moist
- Your skin should feel soft/smooth and not dry
- Your joints would not swell or feel pain
- your eyes would not be dry
Body with Sjogren's
- Your mouth would feel dry and it could hurt some of the time
- your skin could be dry
- your eyes would be dry and uncomfortable
- You would have a lot of joint pain and fatigue
Venus Williams US Open 2011: Tennis Star Explains Leaving Tournament due to Sjogren's Syndrome
Venus Williams
Venus is back at playing tennis and is now on a vegan raw diet witch helps her manage her symptoms.
Sjogren's Syndrome Information | Dr. Mitchel Goldman
Diagnosis
It is normally diagnosed by its two most common symptoms dry eyes and dry mouth. It can take up to seven years to diagnose.
Sings and Symptoms
- Chronic arthritis
- Dry eyes
- Dry mouth
- Joint pain
- dry skin
- Numbness or tingling
- In some cases can affect your organs
Treatments
There is no cure for Sjogren's but there are things you can do to decrease the symptoms. There is also medcations you can take such as Pilocarpine, Evoxac, Cevimeline, Hydroxychloroquine and Methotrexate. Also you can use artificial tears and over the counter eye drops. You can use Vaseline or chapstick to help the dryness of your lips.
Prognosis
With Sjogren's you can live a full and mostly normal life as long as you manage your symptoms properly.
Connections
Venus Williams has Sjogren's she is a tennis player and i enjoy playing tennis but the main reason I chose Sjogren's was because my mom has it and I wanted to learn some more about it.