Sjögren’s syndrome, pronounced (SHOW-grins), is an autoimmune disease that features inflammation of the glands that produce tears, which leads to dryness in the eyes, and inflammation of the glands that produce the saliva in the mouth, which leads to dryness in the mouth and lips. It is one of the more common autoimmune disorders and is thought to affect over four million individuals in the United States alone.

You can learn more about Sjögren’s syndrome by visiting The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation, which was founded in 1983 and “provides patients practical information and coping strategies that minimize the effects of Sjögren’s syndrome.” The foundation’s website has a great deal of information, even though it doesn’t appear to have been updated recently. I’m not sure if it is even still an active organization, but I will send them an email and see if anyone is still home. Nonetheless, the site has a good amount of information.

I would recommend that you first visit the Sjögren’s information page at the Lupus Foundation of America for more information.

My wife has just recently started taking Evoxac, which is a medication for Sjogrens. It’s pretty early to tell if it’s making any difference, but we have had an odd episode where she woke up coughing from too much saliva, which was a little scary.

The current poll is set to end on March 3, so if you haven’t participated, there is still time.