Specific Tests for Sjögren's Syndrome Your doctor may recommend some or all of the following tests: Blood and urine tests, to look for the presence of antibodies common in Sjögren's syndrome. The results of an ANA (antinuclear antibody) test will determine if you have an autoimmune disorder.
A blood test can detect specific antibodies—immune system proteins that normally bind to harmful substances—that may signal autoimmune diseases. The antibodies associated with Sjogren's include anti-Ro (SS-A) and anti-La (SS-B) antibodies, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies.
In autoimmune disorders, the urinalysis is commonly used to assess renal injury (glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis) and can show proteinuria, hematuria, or active sediment (white blood cell casts or red blood cell casts). Inflammatory markers are serum proteins that are produced in response to inflammation.
Ultrasound imaging and biopsy can help determine if the salivary gland tissues are altered by inflammation. Blood tests can identify antibodies that are typically present in people with Sjögren's syndrome and other autoimmune disorders.
Blood tests
In Sjögren's syndrome, the immune system produces antibodies that attack healthy areas of the body. These can be found during a blood test. But not everyone with Sjögren's syndrome has these antibodies, so you may have the condition even if a blood test does not find them.
Swollen salivary glands — particularly the set located behind your jaw and in front of your ears. Skin rashes or dry skin. Vaginal dryness. Persistent dry cough.
The disorder can affect the nervous system, muscles, joints, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels, liver, and pancreas. Sjögren's syndrome is a long-lasting disorder that affects females more often than men.
Sjögren's syndrome can also cause swollen or painful joints, muscle pain or weakness, dry skin, rashes, brain fog (poor concentration or memory), numbness and tingling sensations in the arms and legs due to nerve involvement, heartburn, kidney problems and swollen lymph nodes.
In Sjögren's syndrome, the immune system attacks the tear and saliva glands, and other secretory glands throughout the body. The reasons for this remains unknown, but research suggests that it's triggered by a combination of genetic, environmental and, possibly, hormonal factors.
In the early stages of SS, the mouth may appear moist, but as the disease progresses, the usual pooling of saliva in the floor of the mouth becomes absent and lines of contact between frothy saliva and the oral soft tissue are seen.
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is an autoimmune related condition that causes discomfort or pain in the bladder and a need to urinate frequently and urgently. It is far more common in women than in men. The symptoms vary from person to person. Some people may have pain without urgency or frequency.
No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.
Antinuclear Antibody (ANA): The ANA test is positive in the majority of Sjögren's syndrome patients. However, a positive ANA test is also common in healthy individuals. The ANA test is most commonly performed using a technique that involves immunofluorescent staining of human cells grown in tissue culture (Figure 3).
Early Sjögren antibodies (eSjA) including IgG, IgA and IgM autoantibodies to salivary protein 1 (SP-1), carbonic anhydrase 6 (CA6), and parotid secretory protein (PSP), are 9 novel salivary gland autoantibodies.
Eye tests. Your doctor can measure the dryness of your eyes with a test called a Schirmer tear test. A small piece of filter paper is placed under your lower eyelid to measure your tear production.
The neurological complications of Sjögren's syndrome are extensive and range from cognitive difficulties, to burning toes and feet.
These symptoms can lead to irritation, soreness, and pain. “Brain fog” is a colloquial term for cognitive dysfunction, which refers to impairment in functions such as thinking, memory, and reasoning in a way that can affect daily activities. It is a common complaint among people with Sjogren's syndrome.
Symptoms. The main symptoms of Sjögren's disease are: Dry mouth. Your tongue and your throat will feel dry and chewing and swallowing may be difficult or painful.
Age: Most people who are diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome are 40 or older, but it can affect younger individuals, including children. Gender: Women are as much as 10 times more likely to develop Sjögren's syndrome than men. This imbalance may be related to the effect of sex hormones on a woman's immune system.
This condition is frequently associated with other autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Sjogren syndrome is managed by replacing moisture at affected glandular sites and diminishing the autoimmune response locally as well as systemically.
Constipation and diarrhea can occur with Sjögren's. Increase vegetables. Try magnesium supplement for constipation. The pancreas, which releases digestive enzymes, can have low-level inflammation (20-40%) in Sjögren's.
Patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) frequently have irritable bowel like symptoms (IBS). Some have celiac sprue.
Sjogren's syndrome patients often develop a purple-to-red rash that does not lighten when pressure is applied. They may also show purpura (rashes with blood spots) that's indicative of vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels). If you observe any of these rashes on your skin, consult a dermatologist.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is very similar to the Sjögren's syndrome (SS) by its clinical presentations.