Sjogren’s syndrome is a name given to an immune system condition where the defensive shield of the immune system wrongfully starts combating the beneficial white blood cells of the body. Even though the while blood cells originally work in the favor of our health by helping us fight against disease-causing pathogens but during Sjogren’s our body start depleting its own defense agents which further elevated the presence of pathogens in our body.
Sjogren is an autoimmune disease and can result in numerous life-threatening health conditions. The symptoms of the condition can be quite mild and tender in the initial stages and one has to pay extra attention to detect the illness. One more distinct characteristic of the illness is that almost all the patients are females, with only 10% of the affected patients belong to the male gender. According to a recent survey, as much as 4 million people in the whole of the US are suffering from Sjogren syndrome.
Symptom 1: Dryness in eyes
The most common and primary symptom attached to the Sjogren’s is experiencing excessive dryness in the eyes. The symptom is triggered due to the inflammation of the tear glands which then reduces the amount of moisture that reaches the eye. Eyes become unbearably irritated, and the suffering individual feels as if he is being stung by needles, the feeling of itchiness gets translates into redness that further leads to eye swelling. Violent scratching and rubbing of the eyes also lead to more damage and does more harm than good.
Symptom 2: Dryness in mouth
Also known as cottonmouth, dryness in a mouth is also something which can be detected in the initial stages of the syndrome, and just like dry eyes, dryness is mouth is a symptom, which gets triggered due to the inflammation of mouth glands. Due to damaging inflammation, the mouth feels a scarcity of saliva which then results in dry mouth. In extreme cases, the tongue gets attached to the roof of the mouth giving a more acute and harsh sensation than one will get during dehydration. It also results in an impaired voice and bad mouth taste.
Symptom 3: Dental issues
Not just dry mouth, lack of saliva in the mouth would also affect the overall health of your teeth, and the gums. When teeth are not furnished with a sufficient amount of saliva then they fall under the risk of getting depleted more quickly. Even the risk of infection rises exponentially and the individual starts experiencing throat issues. Mouth and gum problems are most commonly associated with the discomfort of getting diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome.
Symptom 4: Joint pain
Even though joint and muscle pains are actively associated with numerous health conditions, hence one can’t completely pin-point one condition for the occurrence of this universal symptom. Conditions like arthritis are more commonly aligned with joint pain and even individuals suffering fatigue also suffer from joint or muscle pains. However, there have been cases in the past where patients have not immediately diagnosed with Sjogren’s due to the lack of awareness, but this prolonged experiencing pain without seeking proper treatment could result in a life-long of stress and discomfort. Henceforth, it is extremely important to seek expert help right away.
Symptom 5: Swollen glands
As discussed earlier, inflammation during Sjogren’s can actively damage the lining of your mouth, but the damage does not stay put to just the mouth it moves further inside the body and affects the neck, face, and other vital regions of the body. Even the lymph nodes get affected due to the chain reaction of inflammation.
Symptom 6: Fever
We all know that fever and rise in temperature is our body’s primary defense mechanism against numerous types of harmful health condition, hence the symptom can’t be directly related to only the Sjogren’s syndrome. However, during Sjogren’s, a patient would feel feverish due to the expansion of inflammation until the heart, liver, and kidneys. The inflammation attacks the proper functioning of these vital organs which then confronted by our body in the form of rising temperatures. Even though fever is not that intense, but the episodic occurrence can indicate numerous health disorders and it becomes extremely difficult to point fingers at only one disease. Hence, proper diagnoses under expert supervision are required to understand the final outcome.
Symptom 7: Fatigue
Maybe of the most common symptom of Sjogren’s – fatigue and tiredness can dig holes of doom in the personal and professional life of an individual. Nobody likes an unmotivated individual who lacks the usual zing and vividness. However, it’s more medical than just a personal and consensual choice. Lethargy can drive you away from your friends and family while also causing severe damage to your immune system. During fatigue, the body experiences a hard time in keeping up the homeostasis.
Symptom 8: Dry cough
One more symptom which is not uniquely associated with Sjogren’s. A dry cough is a common symptom that can mean the possibility of different medical conditions. The problem with aligning dry cough and Sjorgen’s is that no expert would initially combine both the two and the hit and trial of the symptom with different health conditions would lead to frustration and discomfort for the patient. The situation can get extremely volatile and fluctuating, the patient would experience a coughing fit just with a slight change in temperature or surroundings.
Symptom 9: Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath is mainly a symptom that gets triggered during respiratory illnesses like asthma, however during Sjogren’s the patient would feel tightness in chest with a fair deal of shortness in breath due to the fact that this syndrome is fairly associated with older adults and difficulty in breathing is one the most common health problem that comes knocking on the door with old age.
Symptom 10: Weight loss
Sjorgren’s additionally attacked your metabolism and appetite, the inflammation that reaches the kidneys and liver can be a big cause for this problem and the unexplained weight loss should not be regarded as a welcome change, instead, it should be properly responded with a proper medical check-up.