Updated October 29, 2014.

It is a misconception that Sjogren's syndrome is a relatively benign autoimmune condition. In fact, primary Sjogren's syndrome is associated with serious complications. According to the abstract of a 25 year review presented at the annual meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology, half of Sjogren's syndrome patients develop another autoimmune condition and 10% are diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

According to MedPage Today, the review revealed that complications were glandular in about 20% of Sjogren's syndrome patients and extraglandular in 71% of the patients. Specifically, 15.8% also had thyroid disease, 10.5% had vasculitis, 10.5% had gastrointestinal conditions, and 10.5% had dermatologic conditions. Sjogren's syndrome is more than just dry eyes and dry mouth. There is a serious disease burden associated with Sjogren's syndrome that is often overlooked.

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