SJÖGREN'S SYNDROME: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Sjögren's Syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects the exocrine glands, such as the lacrimal and salivary glands, causing significant dryness in the eyes and mouth (xerophthalmia and xerostomia, respectively). This syndrome can manifest itself in isolation (primary form) or associated with other autoimmune diseases (secondary form), such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In addition to sicca syndrome, other symptoms may include fatigue, joint pain, and internal organ complications. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria, presence of specific autoantibodies and salivary gland biopsy. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and managing autoimmunity. This narrative literature review brought together articles published in the last five years in the PUBMED and SciELO databases, aiming to indicate the main risk factors related to Sjögren's Syndrome. It was concluded that the main risk factors related to Sjögren's syndrome include: gender and age, genetics, associated autoimmune diseases and viral infections. Furthermore, the authors of this study encourage future research aimed at covering other aspects not mentioned about this complex chronic disease.