Sjögren’s syndrome, or sicca syndrome, has no known biological cause, but an imbalanced protein affecting the lymphatic system may be the main culprit. A connection to a particular water channel protein was discovered in 2003, and there is no cure for the disease. It is typically found in women between the ages of 30 and 60 and is conducive to dry eyes and dry mouth. Sufferers are at increased risk of lymphoma.
There is no documented biological cause for sicca syndrome, also known as Sjögren’s syndrome. Research has shown that an imbalanced protein, which affects the lymphatic system, could be the main culprit. In 1933, Swedish ophthalmologist Henrik Sjögren’s research implied that chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease was a contributing factor. When the lymphatic system is out of balance, an autoimmune disease occurs, a major cause of Sicca syndrome. Only in 2003 was a connection to a particular water channel protein and Sjögren’s syndrome announced, thanks to the efforts of Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon, both winners of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discoveries.
It was Agre who discovered the water channels and mapped genes such as AQP1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Agre’s team of biologists examined the biopsies of the glands of a group of patients with this condition and found a behavior mutant in the mapped genes AQP1 and AQP5. AQP5 is the last membrane that water passes through to enter the body. It is an important protein in the creation of saliva and tears; AQP1 circulates water in the blood system and fights toxic waste in the glands. In patients, he found reduced amounts of AQP1 in myoepithelia, which is found in the sweat gland, mammary gland, lacrimal gland, and salivary gland — glands that secrete a particular protein — and AQP5 was not where it should be.
There is no cure for sicca syndrome, which is typically found in women between the ages of 30 and 60, although it can occur in males and in all age groups. Sicca syndrome is conducive to dry eyes and dry mouth and is basically the destruction of the glands that produce tears and saliva. The disease was first described in 1888, when Johann Milculicz discovered an unusual swelling in a patient’s glands. When Sjögren diagnosed it in 1933, it was discovered that the body’s immune system was faulty, attacking its own cells and tissues via glands. With Sjögren’s discovery of chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease came the study of autoimmune disease.
The body is designed to create many lymphocyte cells, fueled by water, specifically so that the immune system can fend off and fight off harmful organisms, such as bacteria. When the lymphatic system, including the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus, is out of balance, an autoimmune disease occurs. Lymphocyte cells use receptors that allow them to target dead cells and fight off harmful organisms. When these receptors become faulty, the body loses moisture and autoimmune disease is detected. The autoimmunity disease is classified as sicca syndrome.
Sufferers usually experience pain in their joints and muscles and are often fatigued. Death does not occur from sicca syndrome, although sufferers are at increased risk of lymphoma. Problems with internal organs, such as the kidneys, blood vessels, liver, and lungs, should be diagnosed and treated early. The disease is usually found in sufferers of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.
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