parotid gland swelling with lupus

caulfield · Newbie Joined: 21 Apr 2005 Posts: 18

Hi. I`m 43 and have a problem with the parotid glands - it is enlarged and followed by painful swelling. I was diagnosed with lupus recently and now my doctor tells me that I probably have sjogren`s syndrome. Does anybody know something about that disease?

janeta · Silver Member Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 288

Hi. Parotid gland swelling with lupus, yes, it sounds like the Sjogren`s syndrome. It is a chronic autoimmune disorder. The glands that produces tears and saliva don`t work properly and the symptoms of that syndrome can occur in associtation with other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. The similarities between SLE and Sjogren`s syndrome are many – skin rash, kidney disease, arthritis, increased levels of antinuclear antibodies. The treatment is there to relieve the effects of chronic dryness of the mouth and eyes (artificial tears, local oral agents).

parotid gland swelling with lupus

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK