When you have Sjogren's syndrome, your eyes, mouth, and other parts of your body get dried out. There are treatments that bring relief, though. It's natural to worry when you learn you've got a lifelong disease that will need regular care. Keep in mind that most people with Sjogren's stay healthy and don't have serious problems. You should be able to keep doing all the things you love to do without making many changes.

Sjogren's causes your immune system to go haywire and attack healthy cells instead of invading bacteria or viruses. Conditions like this are called autoimmune diseases. Your white blood cells, which normally protect you from germs, attack the glands that are in charge of making moisture. When that happens, they can't produce tears and saliva.

Dry eyes and dry mouth are the most common symptoms. You can sometimes get problems in other parts of your body, such as swollen glands around your face and neck, dry skin or nasal passages, or painful and stiff joints. About half of people with Sjogren's also have another autoimmune disease, like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. That can sometimes make it harder for your doctor to give you a diagnosis.

You'll need to take medicine throughout your life to help you manage your symptoms. You can buy some kinds in a drugstore without a prescription, such as drops that keep your eyes moist. Your doctor can prescribe other drugs that boost the amount of saliva in your mouth.

Symptoms of Sjogren Syndrome
The symptoms of Sjogren's vary a lot from person to person. You may have just one or two, or you may have many. By far, the most common symptoms are:

Dry mouth. Some people say their mouth has a chalky feeling. Others say it seems like cotton. You may find it hard to swallow. The dryness can also lead to yeast infections in your mouth.

Since you don't have enough saliva, which helps protect your teeth from decay, there's a chance you may get more cavities than other people. You could also get inflammation of your gums, called gingivitis.

Dry eyes. Your eyes may also burn, itch, or feel gritty. It doesn't always happen, but you could get infections around your eyes. It can harm your cornea, which is your eye's clear, outer layer.

Sjogren's can sometimes affect other parts of your body. You can have dryness in your throat, nose, lips, or skin. The glands in your neck and face might swell up. Women may get dryness in their vagina.

Some people also get swelling, pain, and stiffness in their joints. This can happen even if you don't also have rheumatoid arthritis, which has those same symptoms.

You may also get heartburn, a sensation of burning that moves from your stomach to your chest.

It's rarer, but you could have other problems like inflammation in your lungs, liver, and kidneys. Some people also say they feel tired and have numbness and tingling in some parts of their body.