Sjogren's Syndrome News
Sjogren's is an inflammatory condition in which the ears, eyes, mouth and other mucous membranes have severe dryness. This is considered to be an autoimmune disease as many of the symptoms are similar to rheumatoid arthritis. The cause of the dryness is due to white blood cells invading and damaging the salivary and tear duct glands.
In some people only the mouth and eyes develop a dry condition, which is damaging because lack of tears can be extremely damaging to the eyes, and dryness in the mouth makes it difficult to swallow which impairs taste and smell. Saliva cleans the teeth and without it more cavities will develop. When other organs are affected such as the lungs, the person is more vulnerable to infection particularly pneumonia. There are no cures for this condition, but symptoms can be relieved. A healthy lifestyle of nutrition, exercise and weight control will help. There are artificial tear drops that will help dry eyes, and a dry mouth can be helped by sipping liquids or chewing sugarless gum. Avoidance of certain drugs will help such as antihistamines and decongestants or any other drug that will cause dryness. There are other options of treatment that may be beneficial such as natural methods as well as other medication under direction of the doctor.
