Sjögren’s-related salivary disease

Sjögren’s-related salivary disease is a complication of the chronic autoimmune disease, Sjögren’s Disease. Multiple salivary glands can be impacted by this disease at the same time.

Symptoms include:

• Daily, persistent dry eyes and mouth
• Swelling and pain on both sides of the mouth
• Salivary duct strictures
• Chronic swelling in the parotid gland

Sjögren’s disease attacks the salivary glands that produce tears and saliva, leading to dry eyes and a dry mouth, along with swelling.

Many patients who are looking for a diagnosis for their dry eyes, dry mouth and swelling often fear it is lymphoma. Penn ENT’s Salivary Gland Center providers are experts in distinguishing between lymphoma and Sjögren’s-related salivary disease.

Your doctor will perform a physical exam and may order:

• An ultrasound
• An MRI sialogram
• An assessment of saliva flow and character after giving lemon juice
• Blood tests
• A biopsy (if lymphoma is suspected)

Penn Medicine’s Sjögren’s Disease Program, part of Penn Rheumatology, is the only major treatment center for this disease within a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia and sees patients from all around the world. Penn Rheumatology works in collaboration with Penn ENT, Ophthalmology, and Oral Medicine to treat patients with Sjögren’s-related salivary disease.

Treatment options include:

• Adequate hydration, massage, heat and antibiotics
• Steroid or BOTOX injections
• Medications for dry mouth
• Sialendoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure, that can remove obstructions or mucus plugs in the salivary glands without the side effects of traditional surgery. Penn ENT’s Salivary Gland Center is a national leader in this procedure and one of only two institutions in the Philadelphia region offering this cutting-edge technique.

Outlook depends on how advanced the condition has become. In many cases, symptoms are relieved by steroid injections and sialendoscopy.