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This article written by Robert I. Fox, M.D, Ph.D and Paul E. Michelson, M.D. of Scripps Memorial in La Jolla, CA, and Dona Frosio from the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, is by far the most thorough description of Sjs and it's treatment that I have seen. It was published in 2002, and overall it is an excellent resource. It is a lengthy article, but well worth the time spent in reading it. Here's a paragraph from the opening page:
...dryness of eyes and mouth are termed keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). There are many different causes for KCS. When they occur as a result of an autoimmune process, the condition is called Sjögren’s syndrome, which usually occurs in middle-aged women and has prevalence in about 1 in 500 adult persons. There is a marked predisposition of women (about 9:1) with two peaks of age of onset. The first peak occurs during the childbearing period in the mid 30’s and a second peak in postmenopausal years during the mid 50’s although the condition can occur at virtually any age including in children as part of the spectrum of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Patients may also have inflammation of the joints (arthritis), muscles (myosi tis), nerves (neuropathy), thyroid (thyroiditis), kidneys (nephritis), lungs (pneumonitis), lymph node swelling (lymphadenopathy) or other areas of the body. Also, patients may have severe fatigue and disruption of their sleep pattern.
The paper goes on to discuss in great detail the history of Sjogren's, the body systems affected, and treatment.
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1 comment:
What a terrific link. I found this article highly informative. Thank you for sharing it. I've taken some notes on meds to ask about at my next appointment. I'll refer back to this again, I'm sure.
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