Sjögren’s Syndrome, a relentless autoimmune disease that hampers the body’s ability to produce fluids, remains without a cure, leaving many to grapple with its persistent symptoms.
This chronic condition typically emerges in individuals between 40 and 60 years of age, disproportionately affecting women. While a definitive cure is elusive, treatments exist to mitigate the symptoms, which, if ignored, can escalate into serious health issues.
The NHS highlights the primary symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome as dry eyes, mouth, and skin, alongside fatigue, vaginal dryness, muscle or joint pain, swollen salivary glands, and rashes.
The exact trigger for Sjögren’s Syndrome is still shrouded in mystery, but it involves the immune system mistakenly attacking the mechanisms responsible for fluid production, posing a particularly grave threat to kidney, eye and lung function.
Dry eyes, a hallmark of Sjögren’s, significantly increase the risk of eye complications and even permanent vision loss without proper care. Additionally, sufferers are five times more susceptible to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, albeit from a relatively low base risk.
Research published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease also indicates a “significantly higher risk” of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, for those with Sjögren’s.
Dr Elizabeth Price, from the Department of Rheumatology at Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has led the creation of a pioneering guideline that examines Sjögren’s across all age groups. This guideline, published by the British Society for Rheumatology, aims to increase awareness of the condition.
July 23 is also recognised as Sjögren’s Syndrome Awareness Day.
In her review of literature on the disease, Dr Price discovered that those suffering from Sjögren’s are at an increased risk of anxiety, depression, pain and fatigue. Additionally, loss of taste, smell and ocular dryness were identified as the most significant side effects impacting patients’ overall quality of life.
Dr Price’s research highlighted that Sjögren’s is “an under-recognised condition with significant unmet needs”. She advocated for the development of improved measures around disease activity in studies and treatment trials, arguing that current parameters “underestimate the disease burden”.
She also warned of lengthy delays in diagnosis for people with Sjögren’s, as well as a lack of awareness and poor management of the disease among both the public and healthcare professionals.
