the diagnosis conclusive when a person has three
consecutive months of symptoms that include
- extremely dry MOUTH and swollen salivary
glands - dry, irritated membranes around the eyes and
crusty accumulations on the eyelids - inflammation of the joints
Treatment Options and Outlook
Treatment focuses on restoring moisture to the
affected tissues. These efforts may include artificial
tears EYEdrops, moisturizing mouth rinses, vaginal
moisturizing creams, and saline nasal sprays for
the NOSE. Dental hygiene is crucial because the
lack of saliva fosters the growth of BACTERIAand
consequential DENTAL CARIES (cavities). Drinking
water helps maintain moisture throughout the
body. At present Sjögren’s syndrome remains a
chronic disorder for which there is no cure.
Risk Factors and Preventive Measures
Sjögren’s syndrome affects predominantly women,
with onset between the ages of 40 and 55. How-
ever, there are no known measures for preventing
its development. Preventive measures instead
focus on minimizing damage to the involved
organ systems.
See also AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS; CORNEA; DRY EYE
SYNDROME; EPISTAXIS; LIVING WITH IMMUNE DISORDERS.
skin-associated lymphoid tissue (SALT) A loose
organization of LY M P Hcells and tissues that incor-
porates with the epidermis, the SKIN’s living layer.
The skin, as the body’s primary interface with the
external environment, is the foremost barrier to
INFECTION. SALT, also called the skin IMMUNE SYSTEM
(SIS), is very active. It contains large populations
of mast cells, lymphocytes, and macrophages
called Langerhans’s cells. Its role is to intercept
pathogens and other substances that manage to
penetrate the physical barrier of the skin. These
encounters are the basis for many of the antibod-
ies the IMMUNE RESPONSEforms, particularly those
related to allergies (HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTION).
Hypersensitivity reactions often involve derma-
tologic symptoms such as RASH and URTICARIA
(hives). Numerous dermatologic conditions are
IMMUNE DISORDERSor AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. Infec-
tions such as HIV/AIDSand HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS
(HPV) that deplete the systemic immune system
result in reduced numbers of immune cells in
SALT, increasing the skin’s vulnerability to infec-
tion.
For further discussion of SALT within the con-
text of the structures and functions of the immune
system, please see the overview section “The
Immune System and Allergies.”
See alsoANTIBODY; ANTIGEN; B-CELL LYMPHOCYTE;
BRONCHUS-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE(BALT); INFEC-
TION; KAPOSI’S SARCOMA; LYMPHOCYTE; MACROPHAGE;
MAST CELL; MUCOSA-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE
(MALT); NOSE-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE (NALT);
OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS; PATHOGEN; PHAGOCYTE; T-
CELL LYMPHOCYTE; VASCULAR-ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TIS-
SUE(VA LT); VIRUS.systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) A chronic
autoimmune disorder in which the IMMUNE
RESPONSEcreates antibodies that attack the cells of
various organs. SLE is a type III HYPERSENSITIVITY
REACTION (immune complex reaction) that most
commonly develops between the ages of 15 and- Nine times as many women than men have
SLE, and SLE is three times more common in
African American women than women of other
ethnicities.
Symptoms and Diagnostic Path
The symptoms of SLE vary widely in nature and
severity and are often transient (come and go).
Symptoms also vary depending on the affected
organ systems, making it difficult to view them
collectively as indications of a single disorder. The
main symptoms of SLE may include- characteristic “butterfly” RASHacross the NOSE
and onto the cheeks - fatigue, often extreme
- painful and inflamed joints
- FEVER
- enlarged lymph nodes
- loss of HAIR
- CHEST PAIN, particularly with deep BREATHINGor
exertion
- sensitivity to sunlight
systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 295