Sjögren’s is a systemic autoimmune disease commonly linked to dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, and joint pain. However, Sjögren’s is more than just dry eyes and dry mouth, and patients can also experience organ involvement, gastrointestinal issues, interstitial lung disease, vasculitis, lymphomas, and nervous system dysfunction.
Although surveys show that there is not much difference in symptoms and clinical manifestations of Sjögren’s between men and women, we recognize that there are some differences in living, working, and thriving with Sjögren’s for men.
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Symptoms of Sjögren’s Disease in Men
Every patient experiences Sjögren's differently. Below is a list of symptoms to learn the impact of this disease. The highlighted symptoms are reported as most frequently experienced by men in our Living with Sjögren’s Survey summary. We encourage every patient to download the Living with Sjögren’s Survey summary to see the lived experience of over 3,600 patients.
- Neurological problems, concentration/memory-loss, “brain fog”, dysautonomia, headaches
- Dry eyes, corneal ulcerations and infections
- Dry nose, recurrent sinusitis, nosebleeds
- Dry mouth, mouth sores, dental decay, difficulty with chewing, speech, taste and dentures
- Swollen, painful parotid/salivary glands
- Difficulty swallowing, heartburn, reflux, esophagitis
- Profound fatigue, vasculitis, lymphomas
- Dry skin, skin sensitivity to UV light and heat, rashes
- Recurrent bronchitis, interstitial lung disease, pneumonia
- Arthritis, joint/muscle pain
- Abnormal liver function tests, chronic active autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis
- Peripheral neuropathy, Raynaud’s
- Stomach upset, gastroparesis, autoimmune pancreatitis
- Irritable bowel, autoimmune gastrointestinal dysmotility
- Interstitial cystitis, interstitial nephritis including renal tubular acidosis, glomerulonephritis
- Chronic prostatitis
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information or research for men with Sjögren’s. Practically, this has occurred because Sjögren’s has been promoted historically as a “women’s” disease. Here at the Sjögren’s Foundation, we proudly advocate and support men with Sjögren’s. Current data suggests that the ratio of men to women with Sjögren’s is 1 in 10, and because of this, men with Sjögren’s have not received the attention and research needed to understand their experience and how it may differ from female patients.
Unique Challenges Faced by Men with Sjögren’s Disease
Although men and women with Sjögren’s exhibit similar symptoms and clinical manifestations, there are subtle differences in patient-reported experiences by men and women. Men also experience the same broad spectrum of symptoms that women experience. However, according to our Living with Sjögren’s summary, men with Sjögren’s reported that they were more likely to be diagnosed with nervous-system and cardiovascular-system-related conditions than women. Fatigue and neuropathy were the most experienced symptoms reported by men with Sjögren’s. Men with Sjögren’s also reported experiencing daily symptoms of neuropathy, approximately 20% more than women. Approximately 78% of men with Sjögren’s compared to 56% of women also reported that neuropathy had a major or moderate impact on their life over the past 12 months. Men with Sjögren’s were also more likely to report being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial lung disease.
Newly Diagnosed with Sjögren’s Disease?
The Sjögren’s Foundation was founded by a patient, to support patients. And to this day, that remains our main focus, educating and supporting patients and their families. We know that Sjögren’s is a complex disease and can sometimes be overwhelming to understand. We encourage newly diagnosed patients to learn as you go. Reading everything about Sjögren’s is not always the best for everyone, but knowing the high-level overview is important.
Explore more resources for those who are newly diagnosed with Sjögren’s
More Resources for Men with Sjögren's Disease
Men with Sjögren's Patient Stories:
- Men Get Sjögren's Too, Ray's Experience with Peripheral Neuropathy
- Listen to Your Gut! David's Experience with Fatigue and GI Symptoms
- From Diagnosis to Self-Advocacy, Robert's Story with Chronic Fatigue and Pain
- The Systemic Symptoms of Sjögren's, Derrick's Story
- Chronic Pain, Carson's Story
- Muscle and Neuropathic Pain, Vince's Story
Click to download the one-page flyer on men and Sjögren's
If you would like to stay up to date with information about Sjögren's from the Foundation, please consider becoming a member.