Jane Brody has written a great article published in the NYTimes, entitled Autoimmune Disorder, In Camouflage.
She's basically asking the question that we all have at some time, which is - Why don't any of our doctors know anything about Sjogren's Syndrome?? It's not rare, it's not new, and millions of people have their lives changed by this disease.
You can find the article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/health/07brod.html?_r=2&ref=health&oref=slogin&oref=slogin (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/health/07brod.html?_r=2&ref=health&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)
Here's a small excerpt:
QuoteHow can a disease that afflicts some three million Americans, 90 percent of them women, be as obscure as Sjögren's syndrome? Experts say it is one of the three most common autoimmune disorders, but few lay people know of it, and doctors rarely think of it when patients describe its various symptoms.
Thanks for that, Anne - very interesting.
Kathyx
So true, as my doctor says I probably know more about it than she does, perhaps I should volunteer my services in surgery - tea and biscuits all round I say.
I'm amazed how the dentist's and eye doc.s don't know about it either!