Abstract
Background: Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is the second most common autoimmune rheumatic disease after rheumatoid arthritis and affects approximately 1 to 3% of the population. Most patients affected by Sjogren's syndrome manifest otorhinolaryngological involvement, such as glandular, ocular, oral, otological, pharyngeal, laryngeal and sinonasal symptoms.
Objective: The aim of this article is to emphasize the otorhinolaryngological manifestations of SS. Since otorhinolaryngologists are often the first practitioners to detect the symptoms, a complete and careful ENT examination should be performed in all the patients suspected to have this syndrome.
Conclusion: To date, there is no straight forward and reliable diagnostic test for Sjögren's syndrome. Its diagnosis can be difficult because the signs and symptoms vary widely and sometimes are similar to those caused by other diseases. Hence, it is important to identify conditions with similar patterns in order to make a correct diagnosis, begin the appropriate therapy, determine a proper follow-up and ensure a good quality of life.
Keywords: Autoimmune disease, sjogren's syndrome, xerostomia, xerophthalmia, parotid gland, salivary gland swelling, dry eye.
Graphical Abstract
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