• Sjogren's affects the eyes"Free A Child's Cry for Peace Creative Commons" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Pink Sherbet Photography (D. Sharon Pruitt) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Sjogren's symptoms

• Sjogren's syndrome is usually typified by dry eyes and dry mouth, as the lacrimal and salivary glands are affected. Glands in the lining of the vagina or breathing passages may also become inflamed. Less common is an inflamed blood vessel. Two diseases that are sometimes associated with Sjogren's are Hashimoto's thyroiditis (abnormal thyroid levels) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
  
  

Types

• Sjogren's that manifests gland inflammation but no other autoimmune disorder is called primary Sjogren's syndrome. If there is another connective tissue disease involved, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, it is called secondary Sjogren's syndrome.
  
  

Diagnosing Sjogren's

• Sjogren's will be suspected if the symptoms of dry eyes or dry mouth are noted. Your medical provider will order blood tests, including a rheumatoid factor, to help rule out other conditions.
  
  

RF

• Rhuematoid factor refers to an antibody that is often present in the blood of people who have an autoimmune disorder. In individuals with Sjogren's, there tends to be a significant concentration of RF in the blood.
  
  

Warning

• Rheumatoid factor is just one test to diagnose a connective tissue disorder such as Sjogren's syndrome. It can be a helpful lab result, but it should not be used as the only diagnostic tool. There are Sjogren's patients who have a negative RF. There are also healthy individuals who consistently have a positive rheumatoid factor.