Significant Disease Burden | Sjögren's Disease

Sjögren’s disease is a constant presence causing daily challenges that impact quality of life.

Can Sjögren's disease affect physical, emotional, and social well-being?²

The most common symptoms in Sjögren's disease (SjD), including excessive dryness, severe fatigue, and chronic pain, can be debilitating for patients.⁴

Due to the heterogeneous nature of SjD, patients can present with a broad range of symptoms⁵

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59% of patients report that their sleep quality had a high impact on their overall quality of life^7†

Up to 96% of patients report joint pain, which can be debilitating⁸

Patients who have dental decay report lower quality of life than other patients with SjD³

Fatigue in SjD can be profound and make it difficult to concentrate, and is associated with depression and anxiety⁹

Understanding the burden of Sjögren’s disease

Video transcript

Dr Brian Porter speaks with Paula, a patient with Sjögren's disease, about the burden caused by her disease.

High systemic disease activity has been associated with reduced quality of life.¹⁰

What could be the indicators of underlying disease activity?

Why symptomatic treatment may not be enough

*Based on the 2021 "Living with Sjögren's" survey assessing the variety, severity, and QoL impact of symptoms in adult patients with SjD (N=3622).⁶
^†Based on a global survey assessing the burden of disease in adult patients with SjD (N=1155). Patients rated impact on a 7-point scale (1=no impact, 7=significant impact). High impact was defined as scores of 5-7.⁷
^‡Based on the "Living with SjD" survey assessing demographics, symptoms, QOL, cost, and treatment in adult patients with SjD (N=2961).¹

QOL, quality of life.

References: 1. McCoy SS, Woodham M, Bunya VY, et al. A comprehensive overview of living with Sjögren's: results of a National Sjögren’s Foundation survey. Clin Rheumatol. 2022;41(7):2071-2078. 2. Perella C, Steenackers M, Robbins B, et al. Patient experience of Sjögren's disease and its multifaceted impact on patients' lives. Rheumatol Ther. 2023;10:601-614. 3. McCoy SS, Bartels CM, Saldanha IJ, et al. National Sjögren's Foundation survey: burden of oral and systemic involvement on quality of life. J Rheumatol. 2021;48(7):1029-1036. 4. Mariette X, Criswell LA. Primary Sjögren's syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(10):931-939. 5. Brito-Zerón P, Baldini C, Bootsma H, et al. Sjögren syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16047. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.47 6. Sjögren's Foundation. Accessed October 7, 2025. https://sjogrens.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/LivingwithSjogrens-8.5x11-2022- Mar31_7pm.pdf 7. Marvel J et al. Poster presented at: European Congress of Rheumatology Meeting; June 11-14, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. Poster POS0447. 8. Rozis M, Vlamis J, Vasiliadis E, Mavragani C, Pneumaticos S, Evangelopoulos DS. Musculoskeletal manifestations in Sjogren's syndrome: an orthopedic point of view. J Clin Med. 2021;10(8):1574. doi:10:3390/jcm10081574 9. Cui Y, Xia L, Li L, Zhao Q, Chen S, Gu Z. Anxiety and depression in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2018;18(1):131. doi:10.1186/s12888-018-1715-x 10. Lendrem D, Mitchell S, McMeekin P, et al. Do the EULAR Sjögren's syndrome outcome measures correlate with health status in primary Sjögren's syndrome? Rheumatology (Oxford). 2015;54(4):655-659.