British Sjögren's Syndrome Association, Birmingham, England

Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease, which is associated with inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands. This pathophysiology usually causes clinical symptoms of dryness, particularly in the eyes and mouth.

Sjögren's Syndrome can occur as a primary disorder (Primary Sjögren's Syndrome) or secondary to another well-defined autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), polymyositis (PM), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The aetiology of Sjögren's Syndrome is unknown, but 0.5-3% of the adult population is estimated to be affected. Latest figures suggest that 500,000 people in Great Britain suffer from SS, but because many patients are undiagnosed, the true figure is likely to be higher. Most Sjögren's sufferers are female (9:1 women:men), and on average, age at diagnosis is 50 years.

Sjögren's Syndrome often results in reductions in a patient's emotional and social well-being, not least because it is associated with considerable discomfort. In addition to the dry eye and dry mouth complaints, common symptoms include fatigue, low mood, irritability, headache, and impaired cognitive function.

Sjögren's Syndrome has been recognised as the second most common auto-immune rheumatic disease, but remains greatly under-diagnosed in the clinical setting. The reasons for this are multi-factorial: presentations can be variable and non-specific, many patients do not seek immediate help, and some are misdiagnosed.

Sjögren's Syndrome is diverse in its nature, so presentation is often not confined to one particular medical discipline. In the course of a diagnosis, it is not uncommon for a patient to visit specialists from general medicine, oral medicine, ophthalmology, and rheumatology

British Sjögren's Syndrome Association (http://www.bssa.uk.net/)
PO Box 10867, Birmingham B16 0ZW, Great Britain