Diagnosing Sjögren’s Disease
Sjögren’s can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms vary widely and often appear gradually. Dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, joint pain, or nerve problems may initially seem unrelated.
A person may see an eye doctor for dry eyes, a dentist for mouth problems, or different specialists for fatigue, pain, or neurological symptoms. Unless someone puts the pieces together, the underlying autoimmune disease may be missed.
There Is No Single Sjögren’s Test
Blood tests can look for antibodies associated with Sjögren’s, particularly anti-SSA (Ro). Anti-SSB (La) and other antibodies may also provide useful information. But some people with Sjögren’s do not have these antibodies, so negative blood tests do not necessarily rule out the disease.
Doctors may also use:
Eye tests to measure tear production and look for damage caused by dryness
Saliva tests to determine how much saliva the glands produce
Salivary-gland ultrasound or other imaging
A minor salivary-gland biopsy, usually taken from inside the lower lip
Diagnosis generally depends on the overall pattern of symptoms and test results, rather than one finding.
When Might Sjögren’s Be Suspected?
Persistent dry eyes or dry mouth, particularly when accompanied by unexplained fatigue, joint pain, swelling of the salivary glands, or nerve symptoms, may be a reason to ask whether Sjögren’s should be investigated.
A rheumatologist often helps bring the different pieces together, although eye doctors, dentists, and other specialists may also be involved in diagnosis and care.
For people who have spent years seeing different doctors for seemingly unrelated problems, simply recognizing that the symptoms might have one underlying cause can be an important step.
Learn More
Explains why Sjögren’s can be difficult to diagnose and describes the blood tests, eye tests, salivary-gland tests, and other information doctors may use.
A clear overview from the National Institutes of Health covering how Sjögren’s is diagnosed, which specialists may be involved, and treatments for different symptoms.
Videos
A rheumatologist explains Sjögren’s as a systemic autoimmune disease—not simply a condition causing dry eyes and dry mouth—and discusses the range of symptoms it can produce throughout the body.
Dr. Kara Wada explains why some people with Sjögren’s may have negative or normal blood tests and why diagnosis sometimes requires looking beyond laboratory results to symptoms and other testing.