Rheumatology

Sjogren's Syndrome

Sjogren’s Syndrome is a chronic auto-immune disorder where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own moisture-producing glands, causing decreased production of saliva and tears. So, the hallmark symptoms associated with Sjögren’s syndrome are dry mouth and dry eyes, but it may also cause dryness of other organs including GI system, liver, blood vessels, lungs, the kidneys, pancreas and the Central Nervous System.

This syndrome primarily affects women with an average age of 40 years. It takes at least six years for this syndrome to manifest fully. This might be one of the reasons that every year number of patients recorded with Sjogren’s Syndrome in Punjab goes on increasing exponentially. If you are also suffering from the same then you can find a doctor for Sjogren’s syndrome near Ludhiana.


Symptoms

As it is already mentioned above, Sjogren’s Syndrome primarily exhibits two main symptoms:
  • Dry eyes-Usually associated with itching, burning or gritty feeling
  • Dry mouth- Mouth may feel like full of cotton and causes difficulty to swallow or speak.
Beside above symptoms, some patients may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
  • Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling
  • Prolonged fatigue
  • Swollen salivary glands especially behind jaw and in front of ears
  • Dry skin and rashes
  • Dryness in Vagina
  • Persistent dry cough

If you are experiencing any of above symptoms, then initially you should immediately bring it to the attention of doctor offering Sjogren’s syndrome treatment Ludhiana.


Risk and Complications

Many people who suffer from Sjogren’s syndrome are likely to get affected by a rheumatic disease also such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
The most common complications involve mouth and eyes as stated below:

  • Dental problems: Saliva helps to protect the teeth from the bacterial attack. If mouth remains dry then bacteria can attack teeth to cause dental cavities.
  • Oral thrush- Patients with Sjogren’s syndrome are more likely to suffer from oral thrush, a yeast infection that occurs in the mouth.
  • Vision problems- Dry eyes may suffer from light sensitivity, blurred vision, and corneal ulcers.

You can visit Doctors specialising Sjogren’s syndrome to get best treatment for the same to avoid any related complications.


Tests and Diagnosis

A variety of tests may be performed such as Blood tests, Eye tests, and Imaging tests such as Sialogram and Salivary scintigraphy that help to rule out other disease conditions and also confirm the prevalence of Sjogren’s syndrome.

Also, in some cases, a specializing doctor may perform a lip biopsy to find out the clusters of inflammatory cells that indicate Sjogren’s syndrome. In biopsy test, generally, a small section of tissue is removed from salivary glands present in the lip and examined under a microscope.


Treatment

Generally, treatment of Sjogren’s syndrome is advised according to the individual patient’s symptoms such as :
  • In controlling the saliva, pilocarpine (Salagen) and cevimeline (Evoxac) are prescribed.
  • NSAIDS are used to relieve pain.
  • Hydroxychloroquine can be used to relieve various symptomatic conditions like malaria.
  • Methotrexate is prescribed to suppress the immune response
  • Excessive dry eyes can be relieved with minor surgery.
  • Always remember an early diagnosis and proper treatment can help you to prevent serious complications and also help in improving your quality of life.

So don’t wait and consult a specialist doctor now!

If you are going to find a doctor for treatment, then there can be no better place than Mediclinic, offering advanced clinical facilities to treat all joints problems including Sjogren’s syndrome treatment.