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Sjögren's disease ("SHOW-grins") is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks moisture-producing glands and other parts of the body.


Sjögren's disease can have a significant impact on the quality of life.




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Diagnosis

Sjögren's disease commonly affects women, although men can be diagnosed as well. The disease can be overlooked during a diagnosis process; therefore, it is essential for patients to speak up and advocate for themselves if they feel something is wrong but are being dismissed. People who don't fulfil classification criteria but have features suspicious for Sjögrens such as low blood cells, high gamma globulin levels, inflamed lungs and muscles and neuropathies should be monitored closely.


Comorbidities

Patients often experience a range of comorbidities and understanding these conditions could help to improve the quality of life for those living with Sjögren’s disease. A multidisciplinary approach potentially involving Rheumatologists, Immunologists, Dentists, Opthamologists and mental health professionals is vital for managing comorbidities associated with Sjögren’s disease. Awareness and proactive management can significantly enhance patient outcomes and quality of life.


Causes

Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. In a typical immune response, the system defends the body against infections and disease. However, in Sjögren’s disease, the immune system targets the moisture-producing glands, particularly those responsible for tears and saliva, leading to inflammation and damage.

It is not currently fully understood why Sjögren's disease occurs. It is hypothesised that it may be a mix of genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to the development.


About

Sjögren's disease

Sjögren's disease ("SHOW-grins") is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks moisture-producing glands and other parts of the body.


Sjögren's disease can have a significant impact on the quality of life.




Sjögren's disease ("SHOW-grins") is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks moisture-producing glands and other parts of the body.


Sjögren's disease can have a significant impact on the quality of life.



Diagnosis

Sjögren's disease commonly affects women, although men can be diagnosed as well. The disease is often overlooked in the diagnosis progress, so it is essential for patients to speak up and advocate for themselves if they feel something is wrong but are being dismissed. People who don't fulfil classification criteria but have features suspicious for Sjögrens such as low blood cells, high gamma globulin levels, inflamed lungs and muscles and neuropathies should be monitored closely.

Comorbidities

Patients often experience a range of comorbidities and understanding these conditions could help to improve the quality of life for those living with Sjögren’s disease. A multidisciplinary approach potentially involving rheumatologists, immunologists, dentists, opthamology and mental health professionals is vital for managing comorbidities associated with Sjögren’s disease. Awareness and proactive management can significantly enhance patient outcomes and quality of life.

Causes

Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. In a typical immune response, the system defends the body against infections and disease. However, in Sjögren’s disease, the immune system targets the moisture-producing glands, particularly those responsible for tears and saliva, leading to inflammation and damage.

It is not currently fully understood why Sjogrens disease occurs. It is hypothesised that it may be a mix of genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to its development.

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young woman getting eye test

Sjögren's diagnosis complexities

Diagnosing Sjögren's disease often takes many years, as symptoms typically appear long before the condition is identified. The delay may be due to a lack of clinical awareness and the difficulty of problem solving the constellation of symptoms, even though Sjögren's disease is relatively common. As a result, many individuals with the condition remain undiagnosed. A Rheumatologist, Immunologist or Neurologist should be consulted as well as working in with a team of professionals including Ophthalmologists, Oral Medicine practitioners and Dentists.



Sjögren's disease tests

Common diagnostic tests for Sjögren's disease include eye exams such as a Schirmer's test where a result of equal to or less than 5mm of tears in 5 minutes may be indicative of autoimmune disease. Blood tests may also be used to look for common antibodies in Sjögren's (although not everyone will have these). Dentists may also be able to inspect the mouth for unusual dryness or inflammation. The gold standard for diagnosis is the finding of focal sialadenitis on a salivary gland biopsy.


A lip (salivary gland) biopsy may not be required in patients possessing serum positive SSA/anti-Ro antibodies (along with measured dry eye and mouth). Negative blood test results do not necessarily rule out the disease. Around 30-40% of people with Sjögren's disease are "seronegative", meaning they do not test positive for common autoantibodies like SSA/anti Ro and or SSB/Anti La . For many individuals, self-advocacy tools are helpful in collaborating with healthcare providers to achieve an accurate diagnosis.


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About Sjogrens Disease text
A diagram of the human body showing the different parts of the body.

  • Summary

    Sjögren’s disease is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. In a typical immune response, the system defends the body against infections and disease. However, in Sjögren’s disease, the immune system targets the moisture-producing glands, particularly those responsible for tears and saliva, leading to inflammation and damage.  9 in 10 patients are female and currently, there is no  single determined cause of the disease.

  • Diagnosis

    Sjögren's disease commonly affects women, although men can be diagnosed as well. The disease can be overlooked during a diagnosis process; therefore, it is essential for patients to speak up and advocate for themselves if they feel something is wrong but are being dismissed. People who don't fulfil classification criteria but have features suspicious for Sjögrens such as low blood cells, high gamma globulin levels, inflamed lungs and muscles and neuropathies should be monitored closely. Visit the diagnosis page for more information.

  • Comorbidities

    Patients often experience a range of comorbidities and understanding these associated conditions could help to improve the quality of life for those living with Sjögren’s disease.  See below for more information.

Exclusions in Sjögren's disease testing

Sjögren's disease overlaps with many other medical problems such as allergies, therefore these must be excluded throughout the diagnostic process.


The vast majority of people with dry eye and dry mouth do not have an autoimmune disease, therefore positive autoantibodies or biopsy can help confirm or exclude positive autoimmunity and false negatives can occur, particularly in children and young adults. People who don't fulfil classification criteria but have features suspicious for Sjögren's such as low blood cells, high gamma globulin levels, inflamed lungs and muscles and neuropathies should be monitored closely.


Please see the Treatment for Sjögren's page to dive further into the details of the diagnostic tests


*Stats supplied by The Sjögren's Foundation USA