Sjögren's syndrome

Sjögren's syndrome or Sjögren syndrome (pronounced or in English, the latter to approximate the Swedish pronunciation ) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body's white blood cells destroy the exocrine glands, specifically the salivary and lacrimal glands, that produce saliva and tears, respectively. The immune-mediated attack on the salivary and lacrimal glands leads to the development of xerostomia (dry mouth) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes), which takes place in association with lymphocytic infiltration of the glands. That inflammatory process eventually severely damages or destroys the glands.