Sjögren's syndrome

[marti]

Does anyone have problems with dry eyes and mouth? I just read a little bit about Sjögren's syndrome and found out it also causes muscle pain. I never knew that. I've had this terrible eye pain from dry eyes for years and it just keeps getting worse. No amount of Restasis helps. I have so much pain around my whole body all the time too. This made me wonder.

[Seasha]

Marti - there are many symptoms in common between MS and Sjögrens. (My hairdresser has Sjögrens and we often compare sx - some similar and some not) There are blood tests for Sjögrens your Dr might do:

• ANA (Anti-Nuclear Antibody)
ANAs are a group of antibodies that react against normal components of a cell nucleus. About 70% of Sjögren’s patients have a positive ANA test result.
• RF (Rheumatoid Factor)
This antibody test is indicative of a rheumatic disease, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus and Sjögren’s. It doesn’t, however, specify which rheumatic disease a person has. In Sjögren’s patients, 60-70% have a positive RF.
• SS-A (or Ro) and SS-B (or La)
These are the marker antibodies for Sjögren's. Seventy percent of Sjögren’s patients are positive for SS-A and 40% are positive for SS-B (these may also be found in lupus patients).
• ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
This test measures inflammation. An elevated ESR indicates the presence of an inflammatory disorder, including Sjögren’s.
• IGs (Immunoglobulins)
These are normal blood proteins that participate in immune reactions and are usually elevated in Sjögren’s patients

The more tests that are positive, the easier the diagnosis.
https://www.sjogrens.org/home/about-sjogrens/diagnosis

The print is small, so you may have to enlarge the font, but there is a lot of good information here.