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Sjögren’s disease: the symptoms, who gets it, getting a diagnosis, treatment, and living with it
For anyone whose eyes and mouth are dry all the time, anyone just told they have Sjögren’s disease (also called Sjögren’s syndrome), and the people beside them. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, part of the NIH) says it is a chronic autoimmune disorder that happens when the immune system attacks the glands that make moisture in the eyes, mouth and other parts of the body. The main symptoms are dry eyes and mouth, and many people also report fatigue and joint and muscle pain. There is no cure, but there are several ways to treat and manage the symptoms, and most people can expect to live a normal life. This page passes on, by name, what NIAMS says: the symptoms and how it can reach the rest of the body, who gets it and what causes it, how it is diagnosed and who treats it, the treatments for the eyes, the mouth and the rest, and what you can do day to day. It builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
Right now
- Chest pain or severe trouble breathing: call 911 (ours).
- An eye that hurts badly, or vision that changes suddenly or does not clear when you blink: get care the same day, at an emergency room if you cannot reach a provider (ours).
- Burning, soreness or white patches inside your mouth: NIAMS says to see your doctor or dentist, as these can be signs of thrush. A swelling in your face or neck that keeps growing or does not go down: tell your provider soon (ours).
More help
- Related: Lupus · Raynaud’s phenomenon · Arthritis · Heartburn and acid reflux.
- Eyes and teeth: Eye care · Dental care.
- Day to day: Symptom diary · My medicines list · Depression.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Pain, a bone or a joint, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for back pain, arthritis, pain that lasts, headaches, broken bones and sickle cell, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIAMS’s Sjögren’s Disease page, both parts: Overview, Symptoms, & Causes and Diagnosis, Treatment, & Steps to Take (NIH, last reviewed June 2024), and on its Spanish twin, Enfermedad de Sjögren (September 2024), which carries the same facts. Ours: calling 911 for chest pain or severe trouble breathing; getting care the same day, at an emergency room if you cannot reach a provider, for an eye that hurts badly or vision that changes suddenly or does not clear when you blink; telling a provider soon about a swelling in the face or neck that keeps growing or does not go down, or numbness or weakness that is new or spreading; writing down when the dryness started; bringing a list of every medicine you take; not stopping or changing a medicine on your own; asking what a test or treatment would change and what it costs; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any medicine’s name, any brand or dose, any supplement, remedy or product, and NIAMS’s research pages. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.