It’s the most common autoimmune rheumatic disease you’ve never heard of: Sjögren’s syndrome (pronounced show-grins). Discovered by Swedish ophthalmologist Henrik Sjögren in 1933, it affects at least half a million people in the UK, mostly aged 40-60-plus and 90% of them women.
Despite its prevalence, very few have heard of the condition, which happens when the body’s moisture-producing glands become inflamed and stop working. It can affect the eyes, mouth, joints, lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include dry and itchy eyes, joint pain and muscle aches, extreme fatigue, a dry mouth – putting teeth at risk of decay – and low mood and impaired concentration.