Autoimmune Diseases
August 27, 2009
These diseases are a bit special kind of disease arising simply from an overly active response of the immune system. This response of the immune system is generally against those tissues and substances that are by default there in our body.
To be more precise in such a condition of an autoimmune disease the body’s own cells are being attacked by its own immune system. Such an attack may get restricted to some organs in particular like the case with “thyroiditis”, or may as well involve one particular type of tissues in multiple places like in the “Goodpasture’s Disease” –here both the kidney’s as well the lung’s “basement membrane” gets affected.
One of such autoimmune disease is the “Sjogren’s syndrome”. This syndrome is pronounced as – show – grins syndrome and is an immune system disorder often characterized by the two most frequent signs –dry mouth and dry eyes.
The “Sjogren’s syndrome” is frequently accompanied by a lot of additional autoimmune disorders. In this syndrome the “lacrimal glands” or the tear glands of the eyes and the “mucous membranes” and the “saliva” secreting glands those of the mouth are the ones to get affected in the primary stage.
Although the “Sjogren’s syndrome” can get developed at any time and any age, most of the patient’s have been found to be older than thirty when diagnosed.
This condition is common in women than in men. The chief focus of the treatment is in reducing the symptoms, those however often gets subsided with time.
The symptoms of “Sjogren’s syndrome”: This syndrome is distinguished by the two symptoms.
Dry eyes: Here the patient’s eyes have a burning sensation. They have a tendency to feel extremely grainy, and itchy in the eyes, just as sand has got into them.
Dry Mouth: The mouth has a feeling as if cotton filled, and it becomes extremely difficult to swallow or speak properly or at all.
There are some additional issues which are felt by some patient’s suffering from “Sjogren’s syndrome”.
The Salivary glands get swollen, chiefly the set of glands located just behind our jaw and just in front of our ears.
Patients even face issues with dry skin. At times vaginal dryness is another common symptom of this disease.
Even people suffer from extended exhaustion even after any physical activity hardly done, and an unrelenting dry cough.
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