misinterpretation of bodily symptoms despite the fact that medical evaluation does not identify the condition. While the elderly patient tends to suffer from multiple ailments such as cold extremities, constipation, poor digestion, pack pain, and labored breathing, health professionals need to take the complaints seriously despite the fact that some patients believe they are seriously ill and tend to complain of pains for which there is no explanation. In fact it has been found that older patients actually complain less about their ailments and they underreport somatic symptoms rather than the opposite; in some cases they fail to get needed help for serious problems.
The patient did not believe that she was imagining all of her problems. She recognized that she was afraid but insisted that there was something wrong with her. On one of her routine trips to the hospital, she happened to meet a new doctor who finally diagnosed her as having Sjogren's syndrome. The dry mouth and eyes were the symptoms that led the doctor to suspect the presence of this syndrome.
Sjogren's Syndrome is classified as an autoimmune disorder. The immune cells attack and destroy glands that are responsible for producing the tears and saliva. Thus hallmark symptoms of the disorder include dry mouth and eyes. Dryness can be found in other areas as well such as the skin or nose, and vaginal dryness may also be present. These symptoms mimic old age symptoms particularly in women who have reached menopause. Other organs affected by this disorder include the blood vessels, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and the brain. There is no cure for Sjogren's Syndrome and treatments vary with regard to restoring gland secretion. Thus treatments regard symptoms and are supportive in nature. Therapies that replace moisture can alleviate the dry symptoms. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications can help with musculoskeletal symptoms and when there a...