Sjogren SyndromeSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Sjogren Syndrome
Sjögren syndrome is a disorder whose main features are dry eyes and a dry mouth. The condition typically develops gradually beginning in middle adulthood but can occur at any age.
Sjögren syndrome is thought to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors; however, no associations between specific genetic changes and the development of Sjögren syndrome have been confirmed. Researchers believe that variations in many genes affect the risk of developing Sjögren syndrome, but that development of the condition may be triggered by something in the environment. In particular, viral or bacterial infections, which activate the immune system, may have the potential to encourage the development of Sjögren syndrome in susceptible individuals. The genetic variations that increase susceptibility may reduce the body's ability to turn off the immune response when it is no longer needed.
Sjögren syndrome is a relatively common disorder; it occurs in 0.1 to 1 percent of the population. It is difficult to determine the exact prevalence because the characteristic features of this disorder, dry eyes and dry mouth, can also be caused by many other conditions. Women develop Sjögren syndrome about 10 times more often than men; the specific reason for this difference is unknown but likely involves the effects of sex hormones on immune system function.
A predisposition to develop autoimmune disorders can be passed through generations in families. Relatives of people with Sjögren syndrome are at an increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases, although they are not necessarily more likely to develop Sjögren syndrome in particular. The inheritance pattern of this predisposition is unknown.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Dr. Alan Baer graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1978 and completed his post-graduate medical training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt University Hospitals. He was a faculty member at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, from 1986 to 2007, and served there as Chief of the Section of Rheumatology and Fellowship Program Director. He joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 2007 and is currently Professor of Medicine and Director of the Jerome L. Greene Sjogren's Syndrome Center. Since 2015, he has been an Investigator in the Sjogren's Syndrome Clinic at the National Institutes of Health. He was Chief of Rheumatology and Clinical Director of the Johns Hopkins University Rheumatology Practice at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland from 2007 to 2014. Dr. Baer is currently engaged in a number of research studies in the area of Sjogren's syndrome, both at Johns Hopkins and in the NIH Sjogren's Syndrome Clinic. He was the principal investigator of the NIH subcontract to Johns Hopkins to conduct the Sjogren's International Registry (SICCA) and enrolled 300 patients into the registry. The SICCA registry has been a rich source of clinical data and biospecimens for research that Dr. Baer is conducting with colleagues at both Hopkins and the University of California-San Francisco. He is conducting a longitudinal observational study of patients with Sjogren's syndrome. Dr. Baer is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sjogren Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Sjogren Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Arthritis, and Interstitial Keratitis.
Duke Eye Center
Esen Akpek is an Allergy and Immunologist in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Akpek has been practicing medicine for over 35 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sjogren Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Dry Eye Syndrome, Sjogren Syndrome, Interstitial Keratitis, Corneal Transplant, and Vitrectomy.
Scheie Eye Institute Perelman
Vatinee Bunya is an Ophthalmologist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bunya is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sjogren Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Sjogren Syndrome, Dry Eye Syndrome, Blepharitis, and Interstitial Keratitis. Dr. Bunya is currently accepting new patients.
Summary: This phase Ib trial studies the side effects of nivolumab and to see how well it works in treating patients with autoimmune disorders and cancer that has spread to other places in the body or cannot removed by surgery. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and sprea...
Summary: Chronic pharyngolaryngitis is common and often make people suffer in many aspects. The etiology is numerous, for example, airway hypersensitivity, gastroesophageal acid regurgitation, sicca syndrome, anxiety, etc. The investigators aimed to investigate the effect of Jing Si herbal tea liquid packets on chronic pharyngolaryngitis by a design of randomized, double-blind clinical trial in this study....
Published Date: December 09, 2021
Published By: National Institutes of Health