Essay Examples on Hiwassee College

First recognized in 1933 Sjogren's Syndrome

First recognized in 1933 Sjogren's Syndrome is a painful condition that causes severe dry eyes and dry mouth and in some cases other symptoms that can include everything from joint problems to skin rashes There's no cure or treatment for the underlying cause of this autoimmune disorder but one local researcher hopes to change that And now she's getting significant help thanks to a grant from the Rheumatology Research Foundation Darise Farris Ph D a researcher with Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation recently received the Rheumatology Research Foundation s Innovative Research Award The grant provides 400 000 over a two year period so that investigators can pursue work that might lead to breakthroughs contributing to treatments or even a cure It's very exciting because we know that we are on the right track with our studies and we re getting very promising preliminary data but we needed funding to move the work forward Farris said Painful Symptoms Sjogren's Syndrome is an autoimmune disease that is often found in conjunction with other autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and lupus Although it can affect anyone it's more prevalent in women and people over 40 In fact of the 3 million people affected in the United States it affected women by a 9 to 1 ratio The disease causes the body to attack its moisture producing glands namely the salivary glands which produce saliva and the lacrimal glands which are responsible for tear production This can interfere with the body's ability to produce saliva and tears leaving patients with dry itchy and painful eyes as well as intense dry mouth and difficulty talking chewing or swallowing 



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