In a recent article, Lindsay S. Lally, MD, rheumatologist at HSS, discussed the importance of recognizing the disease beyond its hallmark symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth.

“It is important for non-rheumatologists to think about Sjögren’s disease — otherwise, it will never be diagnosed,” Dr. Lally explained. “Sjögren’s should be considered in patients with constitutional symptoms, especially if dryness, rashes, or joint pain are prominent.”

Read the full article at rheumatologyadvisor.com.

"Among the possible reasons people might order these tests are the delay in diagnosis that can often occur with a lot of rheumatologic conditions and that it can take a while to see a rheumatologist, depending on what part of the country you're in and what the availability is," said Timothy B. Niewold, MD, FACR, Vice Chair for Research in the HSS Department of Medicine. He's not surprised to see tests for Sjögren disease among the offerings, for example, because it's a condition that's difficult to diagnose but reasonably common within autoimmune diseases.

Read the full article at Medscape.com. 

"Most early studies of pregnancy in rheumatic disease patients were retrospective and included only small numbers, making it difficult to know how generalizable the reported results were," said Lisa R. Sammaritano, MD,  rheumatologist at HSS. She was not involved with the research.

Most of these previous studies suggested an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as miscarriages, preterm deliveries, and small-for-gestational-age birthweight. But in addition to small patient numbers, retrospective studies "are subject to greater reporting bias, which may predispose patients with negative outcomes being more likely to be included because they were followed more closely," Dr. Sammaritano said.

"This prospective study has several advantages over the earlier retrospective reports: The same data were collected in the same way for all the patients, the patients were recruited at similar time points, and ― due to the multicenter nature of the cohort ― numbers are larger than in prior studies. All these factors make the results stronger and more generalizable to the sjögren's patients we see in our practices," she added.

Read the full article at medscape.com. 

Drs. Lakin and Gordon explained, “Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among individuals with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and also negatively affects survival for those with other connective tissue diseases (CTD), including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjogren’s syndrome, and myositis. Symptoms of ILD include cough and shortness of breath; however, some patients, even those with a high burden of radiographic ILD changes, may have few or no symptoms.”

They continued, “Further, it is increasingly recognized that early identification and treatment is key to improving outcomes for individuals with CTD-ILD. Indeed, currently approved treatments have been shown to prevent ILD progression rather than yield large improvements in pulmonary function. Therefore, it is essential for rheumatologists and other treating physicians to recognize known risk factors associated with ILD development and progression and to screen at-risk patients with appropriate testing.”

Read the full article at Medscape.com.

“We know what happens to patients with the Flu vaccine, the Shingles vaccine,” said Dr. Navarro-Millan. “They [patients] tend to feel not so well, fatigue, and in some instances people do develop a flare,” she continued. However, the ACR recommends patients with rheumatic conditions should get the COVID-19 vaccine, stating the benefit outweighs the potential risk of a flare or the disease worsening.

“So the bottom line is the risk of the flare, even if it’s a bad one that makes you feel bad, it’s still not as bad as getting a serious COVID-19 infection that can put you in the hospital,” added Dr. Navarro-Millan.

Watch the segment at NBCmiami.com.

Additional coverage: Telemundo51.com on February, 23 2021.

In addition to physical exam findings, a rheumatologist will order lab work to measure markers that can indicate Sjögren's syndrome. Seventy percent of people with Sjögren's syndrome will have a positive blood test for the antibody SS-A, cited Dr. Lally.

Immunosuppressives are a type of drug used to treat the condition. Rituximab, a type of medication that targets a type of white blood cell called B-cells, has recently been studied and has had good results for some Sjögren's symptoms, said Dr. Lally.

Dr. Lally offered tips for better living with Sjögren's, advising patients to provide their physician with a list of medications to determine if any being used are making dryness worse (e.g., antihistamines or certain sleep aids). She suggested making environmental changes to lessen the effects of dryness, such as using a humidifier at night and wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes, particularly on windy days. Dr. Lally  also counseled to avoid smoking or getting exposed to secondhand smoke .”Smoking can make dry eyes and mouth worse,” she noted.

Read the full article at Health.usnews.com.