The following symptoms and complaints may indicate Sjögren’s syndrome:
Leading symptoms–Glandular symptoms (disorders of glandular function).
Sicca syndrome is the leading symptom of Sjögren’s syndrome:
- Persistent keratoconjunctivitis sicca with xerophthalmia (decreased tear production or dry eyes).
- Burning of the eyes
- Foreign body sensation / increased sensitivity to light.
- Persistent xerostomia (dry mouth) due to decreased saliva production (saliva quality: increased viscosity).
It is also referred to as “dry eye, dry mouth” (“dry eyes“, “dry mouth“).
Secondary symptoms – extraglandular symptoms (symptoms that occur outside the glands).
- Arthralgias (joint pain) due to nonosseous arthritis (joint inflammation) in various joints, sometimes with swelling (tumor) and hyperthermia (calor) (70%)
- Dysgeusia (taste disorder).
- Increased tendency to allergies and celiac disease (gluten-induced enteropathy) (about 10 times more common).
- Caries (60%)
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement) (20%).
- Fatigue (tiredness) and fatigue [Fatigue significantly affects the quality of life].
- Myalgias (muscle pain)
- Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus)
- Parotid swelling (swelling of the salivary glands), bilateral and chronic (50%).
- Raynaud’s syndrome (vascular disease caused by vasospasm) (40%).
- Rare (up to 10%): myositis (muscle inflammation), nephritis (kidney inflammation), pancreatitis (pancreatitis), pneumonitis (collective term for any form of lung inflammation (pneumonia) that does not affect the alveoli (air sacs) but rather the interstitium or the interstitium), primary biliary cholangitis / biliary tract inflammation (PBC, synonyms: non-purulent destructive cholangitis; formerly primary biliary cirrhosis), purpura (small-spotted skin bleeding), secondary vasculitis (vascular inflammation) with polyneuropathy (diseases of the peripheral nervous system), thyroiditis (thyroiditis).
- Dry mucous membranes in the vaginal area and / or upper and lower respiratory tract (respiratory organs).
If two of the three symptoms xerostomia / keratoconjunctivitis sicca / rheumatic disease are present, Sjögren’s syndrome is present.
