Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about Shogren syndrome. And you can follow along with written notes on this topic at

zero to finals.com slash showgrins or in the rheumatology section of the zero to finals medicine book. But let's get straight into it. Shogrens, or in the rheumatology section of the zero to finals medicine book.

But let's get straight into it.

Shogren syndrome is an autoimmune condition that affects the exocrine glands.

Exocrine glands are glands that secrete things outside of the body.

This leads to symptoms of dry mucus membranes such as a dry mouth,

dry eyes and dry vagina in women. Primary Shogun syndrome is where this condition occurs all on its

own in isolation without any other associated conditions and secondary Shogran syndrome is where it

occurs in relation to SLE or rheumatoid arthritis. Shogran syndrome is associated with two main

antibodies, and these are anti-Row and anti-L-A antibodies.

Let's talk about something called a Shermer's test.

And a Shermer test involves inserting a folded piece of filter paper

under the lower eyelid of the person you want to test

with a strip of filter paper hanging out over the eyelid.

This is then left in for five minutes, during which time some of the fluid from the eye will

travel along the filter paper and make it moist.

At the end of the five minutes, you measure the distance that that moisture has travelled along the strip of filter paper.

In a normal person, tears should travel 15mm, and this would be normal for a healthy young adult.

If the result is less than 10mm, then this is significant and supports the diagnosis of Shogran syndrome.

So how do you manage patients with Shogran syndrome? Well, the main treatment is symptomatic

with artificial tears, artificial saliva and vaginal lubricants. Hydroxychloroquine is an immunosuppressant medication that can be used to halt the progression

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