Sjögren’s Syndrome, described in 1930 by the Swedish ophthalmologist Henrik Sjögren, is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease of unknown cause, characterized by dryness in the eyes and mouth due to a decrease in the secretion of the lacrimal and salivary glands. It is a disease that can affect 3% of the population, mostly middle-aged women, although it can appear at any age.
It evolves very slowly, taking more than 10 years between the appearance of the first symptoms and its full development.
There are two forms of Sjögren’s syndrome. We speak of secondary syndrome when it appears simultaneously with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma or primary biliary cirrhosis, and of primary Sjögren’s syndrome when it is not associated with another autoimmune disease.
The cause of Sjögren’s syndrome is unknown. It is likely that the trigger of the disease is a viral infection, but so far this has not been proven. The suspicion that genetic factors are involved is based on the fact that sometimes there are several cases in the same family.
There is no one Sjögren’s syndrome like another. In some patients the symptoms are very annoying, even serious and in others they almost go unnoticed.
The diagnosis is made through a medical visit, which includes a thorough clinical history and examination, laboratory analysis and specific tests that will confirm the existence of dry mouth or eyes.
So far, no treatment has been found that can cure the disease, but rheumatologists, ophthalmologists and dentists have resources that can significantly relieve the symptoms and limit the harmful effects that can be caused by chronic dry eyes and mouth
