Dry mouth occurs when the body does not produce enough saliva to moisten the mouth and fight infection. It is usually triggered by certain health conditions, but it can also be caused by various medications, aging and/or nerve damage, according to the MayoClinic.com. Dry eyes can occur when the body does not produce enough tears to provide adequate moisture for the eyes. People may experience dry eyes if they do not produce enough tears or if they produce poor-quality tears.
Scleroderma
Scleroderma also called systemic sclerosis can decrease moisture in the body resulting in dry eyes and mouth. Scleroderma, a chronic, progressive disease can cause the skin and connective tissue to thicken, tighten and harden, according to Penn State Milton S. Hersey Medical Center. It can affect the body's internal organs, blood vessels, the muscles that aid in swallowing and the skin. The cause of scleroderma is not known, but symptoms can occur when the body produces too much collagen, a fibrous protein found in bone, cartilage, tendon and other connective tissues. It can also develop when blood vessels are damaged and unable to deliver enough oxygen to the body's tissues or when the immune system damages and destroys the body’s own tissues because it views the tissues as foreign invaders. When skin tissues are damaged, the body cannot produce the oil it needs to keep the skin lubricated resulting in inflamed, swollen, hardened and scarred skin and dryness of the eyes and mouth.
Sjogren's Syndrome
Sjogren’s syndrome can contribute to the development of dry eyes and dry mouth. It is an autoimmune disorder in which immune cells attack and destroy the glands that produce tears and saliva. The primary symptoms of the disorder are dry mouth and dry eyes. In addition, Sjogren's syndrome can cause skin, nose and vaginal dryness. In addition, this disorder may impair the kidneys, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas and/or brain. Sjogren's syndrome affects between 1 and 4 million people older than the age of 40 in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There is no known cure for the condition nor is there a specific treatment to restore damaged glands.
Diabetes
Diabetes can cause a variety of oral health problems such as dry mouth or altered salivary flow. Diabetes refers to a group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood glucose, according to MayoClinic.com. Glucose provides energy to the body’s muscles and tissues. When a person has diabetes he has too much glucose in his blood. Diabetes can damage the salivary glands need to keep the mouth moist and fight infection. Various diabetes medications can cause dryness of the mouth. The website Diabeticretinopathy.org states that diabetics may experience sore dry eyes as a result of minor irritation triggered by the medication used to treat diabetes or blepharatis, a condition that causes inflammation or infection of the eyelids. In addition, diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina potentially leading to blindness.
