What's Sjogren syndrome?
Primary Sjögren's disease is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder in which lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands leads to dryness of the mouth (xerostomia) and eyes (xerophthalmia).
| Features mapped | 11 |
|---|---|
| Treatments mapped | 1 |
| Published sources | 2 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-04 |
Signs and symptoms
Anxiety
Anxiety appears to occur more often in people with Sjögren's than in the general population, and it can overlap with fatigue and sleep problems, adding to difficulty with everyday functioning.
Abnormality of the nervous system
Sjögren's can affect the central nervous system. A rare but serious form is chronic relapsing aseptic meningoencephalitis, inflammation of the brain that is not due to an infection and that can be difficult to control with standard immune-suppressing treatment.
Depression
Depression appears to occur more often in people with Sjögren's than in the general population, and it can overlap with fatigue and sleep problems, adding to difficulty with everyday functioning.
Arthralgia
Joint pain (arthralgia) is a common accompanying feature of Sjögren's, alongside dryness of the mouth, eyes, and skin, and joint stiffness.
Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibody positivity
Some people with Sjögren's produce antibodies against Ro52/TRIM21, one of the proteins the immune system mistakenly targets in the disease.
Meningitis
Sjögren's can rarely lead to recurrent aseptic meningitis, repeated episodes of inflammation of the lining of the brain that are not due to an infection.
Cryoglobulinemia
Some people with Sjögren's develop cryoglobulinemia, abnormal blood proteins that can clump together in cold temperatures, and in Sjögren's it is associated with inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
Glomerulonephritis
Sjögren's can involve the kidneys. One form is glomerulonephritis, inflammation of the kidney's filtering units, which may occur together with cryoglobulinemia.
Vaginal dryness
Vaginal dryness is a well-recognized feature of Sjögren's and can contribute to sexual difficulties.
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is a core feature of Sjögren's, which develops when the immune system infiltrates the tear-producing (lacrimal) glands.
Xerostomia
Xerostomia, the sensation of a dry mouth, is a debilitating feature of Sjögren's.
Treatment and management
What the research describes, not a recommendation. Treatment decisions belong with your clinician.
This covers treatments that appear in the published research mapped here. Investigational and experimental therapies are not included, so their absence is a boundary of this map, not a sign they do not exist.
pilocarpine
Pilocarpine is used to treat dry mouth symptoms in Sjögren's disease.
Used to help with: Xerostomia.
“The treatment is currently primarily based on the leading symptoms and includes consistent treatment of dry eye and dry mouth symptoms (eye and mouth care, pilocarpine if necessary).”
How to read the evidence labels
Where this comes from
This guide is built from 2 published source(s). Every claim above links back to one of them. Click any source ID to read the original on PubMed.
Take it further
Printed, source-linked documents built from this condition's graph — ready to bring to an appointment or attach to a coverage request. Every claim carries its published source, the same as this guide.