Sjogren’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease mainly involving exocrine glands.
From the clinical signs, the most common is xerostomia. Patients often feel dry mouth, severe cases need to drink water frequently, when eating solid food needs to be accompanied by water to swallow, rampant dental caries is one of its typical characteristics, teeth gradually turn black, and then small pieces fall off, eventually leaving only residual roots. Repeated swelling of the parotid or submandibular glands is also a common symptom, which can occur alternately on both sides and may be painful when eating. In addition, the tongue will show dry and painful, and the oral mucosa is also prone to ulcers.
Xerophthalmia is also prominent. Patients have dry eyes, foreign body sensation, less tears and other symptoms, serious crying without tears. Long-term dry eyes can lead to corneal damage, ulcers, and even perforation, affecting vision. In addition to dry mouth and eyes, skin and mucosa will also be affected, dry skin, itching, nasal and vaginal mucosa will also be dry, discomfort. Moreover, Sjogren’s syndrome may also involve multiple systems throughout the body. For example, the respiratory system can cause dry trachea and bronchus, lead to dry cough, and in severe cases, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and other pathological changes can occur. In the digestive system, there will be dysphagia, gastric acid reduction, atrophic gastritis and other conditions, affecting the absorption of nutrients. In the kidney, renal tubular acidosis may occur, which can cause hypokalemic paralysis in severe cases. Blood system can appear leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and other abnormalities, increasing the risk of infection and bleeding.
In addition to dry mouth and eyes and the aforementioned symptoms, Sjogren’s syndrome can also cause arthralgia, mostly involving small joints, some patients will have joint swelling, but generally do not cause deformities. Symptoms of muscle weakness and muscle pain may also occur, affecting the normal activities of the limbs. In the nervous system, peripheral neuropathy is more common, patients will have paresthesia, such as limb numbness, tingling, and may also have hyposmia, hypogeusia and so on. In addition, patients may have symptoms of fatigue and fatigue, which will have a greater impact on daily life. Some patients will also have low fever, the body temperature is generally around 37.5-38 degrees Celsius.
As for the causes of morbidity, the first is genetic factors. Studies have shown that some genes are closely related to the morbidity of Sjogren’s syndrome, which may affect the immune regulation of the body, making it easier for the immune system to launch a wrong attack on its own tissues. Secondly, environmental factors can not be ignored. Viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus and retrovirus may trigger immune responses and alter the body’s recognition of its own antigens. In addition, abnormalities in the immune system play a key role in morbidity. Under normal circumstances, the immune system can distinguish between self and foreign antigens, but in patients with Sjogren’s syndrome, the immune system is disordered, and T and B lymphocytes are abnormally activated. B lymphocytes proliferate excessively and produce a large number of autoantibodies, such as anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies, which bind to antigens in their own tissues, activate complement, trigger inflammatory response, and then damage exocrine glands and other tissues, leading to the emergence of a series of clinical signs and symptoms. The interaction of many factors eventually leads to the occurrence and development of Sjogren’s syndrome.
