Symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome include having extremely dry eyes and mouth that has persisted for at least 3 months and is not due to medications. You may have itching and burning in your eyes, and your mouth may feel as though it is full of cotton. Sjögren's syndrome may develop in a person who has a connective tissue disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or scleroderma, and is then classified as secondary Sjögren's syndrome.

Experts believe 1 to 4 million people have the disease. Most - 90 percent - are women. It can occur at any age, but it usually is diagnosed after age 40 and can affect people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. It's rare in children, but it can occur.

Sjögren's syndrome (say "SHOW-grins") is a disorder in which the immune system attacks the body's moisture-producing glands, such as the tear glands and the saliva glands . These glands may become scarred and damaged, and extreme dryness in the eyes and mouth (sicca syndrome) may develop. Sjögren's syndrome may also cause fatigue, pain in the joints, and problems with the function of vital organs, such as the lungs, kidneys, and nerves.

The exact cause of Sjögren's syndrome is not known. Experts believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may cause this disorder.2 Heredity may be a factor, since Sjögren's syndrome sometimes runs in families. Hormones may play a role, since this disorder often affects women who are at or near the age of menopause, but this relationship remains unclear.1

Your health professional may diagnose Sjögren's syndrome after taking your medical history, doing a physical examination, and noting symptoms of dry eyes and mouth. Next, he or she will ask whether you are taking any medications such as antihistamines or antidepressants that could cause dry eyes and mouth. If needed, your health professional may order tests for tear flow, eye damage, saliva production, tissue damage, and blood antibodies to confirm a diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

Although there currently is no cure for Sjögren's syndrome, you and your health professional can work together to treat your symptoms. For example, you can use artificial tears to moisten your eyes, and you can use mouth lubricants and saliva substitutes to moisten your mouth and throat.

In the autoimmune attack that causes Sjogren's, disease-fighting cells called lymphocytes target the glands that produce moisture--primarily the lacrimal (tear) and salivary (saliva) glands. Although no one knows exactly how damage occurs, damaged glands can no longer produce tears and saliva, and eye and mouth dryness result. When the skin, sinuses, airways, and vaginal tissues are affected, dryness occurs in those places, too.

What distinguishes Asperger's Syndrome from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's may seem just like a normal child behaving differently. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy.

Syndrome" is a medical term for a condition in which there is a collection of signs (observable body changes) and symptoms (problems observed by the patient) recognizable by a doctor's exam. Individuals with a syndrome may not have all of its associated signs and symptoms, but they must have enough to be considered "diagnostic." Conversely, because someone may display some of the signs and symptoms of a syndrome, does not necessarily mean they have it.

HELLP Syndrome occurs in 4 percent to 12 percent of the women who have preeclampsia. It is one of the most severe forms of preeclampsia. HELLP stands for: hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and lowered platelets. HELLP Syndrome most often affects the liver, causing stomach and right shoulder pain. HELLP Syndrome is most dangerous because it can occur before you exhibit the classic symptoms of preeclampsia. It is often mistaken for the flu or gallbladder problems.

Only 3 to 5% of cases are inherited; the rest arise as an accident of chromosome arrangement during meiosis. For details, see my essay on the origin of trisomy 21 or Dr. Paul Benke's essay on the types of DS, and the risk and recurrence risk of DS. No. Down syndrome occurs at conception, so nothing in the pregnancy can cause Down syndrome to occur. As for prior to conception, the research all shows that drug or alcohol use does not increase the risk of having a child with DS.

Tourette Syndrome TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by tics -- involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way.

Down's Syndrome is a genetic condition caused by extra genetic material (genes) from the 21st chromosome. The extra genes cause certain characteristics that we know as Down's syndrome. Individuals with Down's Syndrome also have all the other genes given to them by their parents. As a result, they have a combination of features typical of Down's Syndrome on top of the individual features from their parents.

The long QT syndrome (LQTS) is causing an abnormality of the heart's electrical system. The mechanical function of the heart is entirely normal. The electrical problem is due to defects in heart muscle cell structures called ion channels. These electrical defects predispose affected persons to a very fast heart rhythm (arrhythmia) called "Torsade de Pointes" (TdP) which leads to sudden loss of consciousness (syncope) and may cause sudden cardiac death.