An excellent article on Sjogren's Syndrome by Angela Hill

Here is a really well done article on Sjogren's Syndrome featuring local Bay Area folks who suffer with this disease. According to Dr. Sarah Schafer, MD, who suffers with Sjogren's, "It's the most common disease that nobody's heard of"

Ron Hansman, 67, says "I'd love to have diabetes instead of this"

The author makes a great point about how this is one of those illnesses in which people look great, but feel terrible - a hidden disability. This leads to misdiagnosis, underdiagnosis, relationship problems, even suggestions of hypochondriasis. Many thanks to Venus Williams for going public about her struggles with Sjogren's Syndrome which has caused an upsurge of interest in the most common autoimmune disorder nobody's ever heard of!

Photo of Venus Williams by Nhat V. Meyer, Mercury News

Venus Williams & Sjögren's Syndrome

Today Venus Williams did a very brave thing. She let the world know she is suffering from Sjögren's Syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins). This is a very debilitating autoimmune disease that many people think just causes dry eyes and dry mouth, and say, "What's the big deal?" When you've experienced the bone crushing roadkill fatigue it can cause, along with the severe joint pain and brain fog, you'll know.

Here is a link to the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation website. This disease is named for the Swedish researcher that first started putting it all together. Sjögren's affects so many bodily systems that the average time to diagnosis is seven years!

Like Venus, I also have Sjögren's Syndrome. So I understand how serious this autoimmune disease can be. I'm very sorry she has come down with this, but I hope she can use this to bring more awareness to the difficulties of Sjögren's. She's a beautiful woman. I hope she'll be a beautiful spokesperson for those of us with Sjögren's as well.

Photo taken from Venus Williams' Facebook page.