Sjögren Syndrome Treatment
Autoimmune disease causing dry eyes and dry mouth — diagnosis and treatment at Arthritis Care of Texas.
Your immune system — the part of your body that fights germs — attacks the glands that make moisture by mistake, mainly the glands that make tears and saliva. That is why the hallmark symptoms are dry, gritty eyes and a dry mouth. Because Sjögren can affect the whole body, fatigue, joint pain, and swollen salivary glands are common too.
There is no cure yet — the goal is control: comfortable eyes and mouth, protected teeth and eyesight, quiet joints and fatigue, and early notice of anything the disease does elsewhere. Success looks like days when you forget about dryness, teeth and eyes staying healthy, and flares that are recognised early and settled quickly.
Sjögren syndrome (pronounced “SHOW-grins”, also called Sjögren’s disease) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s moisture-producing glands, especially the tear glands (lacrimal glands) and the salivary glands. The result is dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and dry mouth (xerostomia), often together with profound fatigue, joint pain, difficulty swallowing or speaking for long, and swelling of the salivary glands in front of the ears or under the jaw. Sjögren can occur on its own (primary Sjögren) or alongside another autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Although dryness defines it, Sjögren is a whole-body condition: it can also affect the lungs, kidneys, nerves, blood vessels, and skin.
Did you know… Sjögren is estimated to affect as many as 4 million Americans, making it the second most common rheumatic autoimmune disease in the United States after rheumatoid arthritis — yet many people have never heard of it, and a large number remain undiagnosed. Nine out of 10 people with Sjögren are women. Diagnosis takes an average of about 2.8 years, and the average age at diagnosis is 40, though it can begin at any age.
Could I be at risk of developing Sjögren syndrome?
Sjögren can affect anyone, but it is far more common in women, and it most often appears between the ages of 40 and 60. Having another autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, or a family member with an autoimmune disease, also raises the likelihood. The exact cause is unknown — genes, hormones, and environmental triggers such as infections are all thought to play a part.
How is Sjögren syndrome diagnosed?
There is no single test for Sjögren. Diagnosis combines your symptoms with objective checks: blood tests for antibodies such as anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La, a Schirmer test that measures tear production with a small paper strip under the eyelid, tests of saliva flow, and sometimes a tiny lip biopsy of a minor salivary gland. Your rheumatologist weighs the results together, because no one result proves or rules out Sjögren on its own.
What types of Sjögren treatments are available?
There is no cure, and no systemic medicine is currently approved by the FDA specifically for Sjögren — treatment is tailored to your symptoms. Dry eyes are treated with preservative-free artificial tears and eye care; dry mouth with hydration, saliva substitutes, sugar-free gum or lozenges, and medicines that stimulate saliva flow (pilocarpine or cevimeline). Hydroxychloroquine is often used for fatigue and joint pain, and stronger immune-calming medicines are reserved for disease affecting organs such as the lungs, kidneys, or nerves. Dental care and regular follow-up are part of treatment, not extras.
Did you know?
- It is named for Henrik Sjögren, a Swedish eye doctor who in 1933 described 19 women with the same trio — dry eyes, dry mouth, and arthritis — and connected the dots. It is pronounced “SHOW-grins.”
- A healthy mouth makes roughly a litre of saliva a day — about a big water bottle’s worth, and about 99% water. Saliva is not just spit: it helps you taste, swallow, and speak, and it is your teeth’s first line of defence against cavities.
- One classic test is delightfully low-tech: the Schirmer test tucks a tiny strip of filter paper under your lower eyelid for five minutes and measures how far your tears travel along it. Wetting of 5 millimetres or less counts as dry.
Common worries
Is a dry mouth just uncomfortable, or can it harm my teeth?
It can harm your teeth, which is why dentistry is part of Sjögren care. Saliva washes away food, neutralises acids, and carries minerals that protect enamel — without enough of it, cavities develop faster, sometimes in places that rarely decay otherwise. Fluoride toothpaste, regular dental visits, sipping water, and sugar-free gum or lozenges all help, and your dentist should know you have Sjögren.
I have read that Sjögren raises the risk of lymphoma. Should I be worried?
The risk is real but small, and most people with Sjögren never develop lymphoma. Roughly 5 to 10 in 100 people with Sjögren develop a lymphoma — usually a slow-growing type in a salivary gland — over a lifetime. That is why follow-up matters: tell us promptly about a salivary gland that stays swollen on one side, new lumps in the neck or armpits, fevers, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss, and we will check it without delay. Regular visits are how a rare complication gets caught early, when it is most treatable.
My antibody blood tests were negative. Does that rule out Sjögren?
No. The Sjögren antibodies (anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La) are absent in a sizeable minority of people who have the disease, and they can also appear in other conditions. Diagnosis rests on the whole picture — symptoms, eye and saliva tests, and sometimes a lip biopsy — not on one blood result. If your symptoms fit and the first tests are negative, further testing is still worthwhile.
Related Plaquenil · Rituxan (rituximab) · Methotrexate · Lupus (SLE) · Rheumatoid arthritis · All medications · Request an appointment
What counts as a flare: noticeably worse dryness with new fatigue, aching joints, or swollen salivary glands lasting more than a few days — especially with mouth sores, eye pain or redness, or a gland that swells on one side and stays swollen.
What to do: call us at (361) 400-7700. Step up preservative-free eye drops and mouth-moistening measures, rest, keep taking your regular medicines, and sip water often. Eye pain, vision change, or a one-sided gland swelling that does not settle needs same-day advice.
Do not adjust steroids on your own: do not double your prednisone or restart an old course without calling — the dose needs to fit the flare and your other medicines.
What isn’t a flare: one gritty-eyed morning after antihistamines, air conditioning, or a dehydrating day, or a dry mouth that eases with water and gum. Note the trigger, and mention it at your next visit.
Ready to be seen? New patients are seen within 2–4 weeks.