Sjögren's syndrome, or SS, is an immune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation in your salivary glands, tear ducts and mucous membranes. This inflammation interferes with the normal secretion of fluids and leads to dryness of the mouth, eyes and other tissues. SS can occur as an isolated syndrome, or it can be related to other autoimmune conditions. In 1998, German scientists reported the first known case of SS associated with gluten-sensitive enteropathy, or celiac disease.
Hyperimmune Response
Celiac disease is caused by an exaggerated immune response to dietary gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and similar grains. If you are sensitive to gluten, your immune system produces antigluten antibodies, which can also attack your own cells and tissues. Such autoantibodies -- and the cells that produce them -- can travel through your bloodstream and affect tissues far removed from your gastrointestinal tract.
Other Autoimmune Disorders
The autoantibodies and immune cell abnormalities associated with celiac disease have been linked to other inflammatory disorders. For example, a 1992 "British Journal of Rheumatology" review discussed the relationship between arthritis and celiac disease, and a 1999 "American Journal of Gastroenterology" study demonstrated that approximately 15 percent of patients with SS have celiac disease as well.
Effects of Gluten-Free Diet
Celiac disease, which can affect your gastrointestinal tract, skin, nervous system, skeleton and other organ systems, is usually "cured" by the avoidance of dietary gluten. According to a 2007 review in "American Family Physician," the symptoms of celiac disease typically clear within a few months of adopting a gluten-free diet. As your immune response to gluten lessens, so do the signs of inflammation in other organs and tissues.
Considerations
As demonstrated in a 2008 review in "Gastroenterology Clinics of North America," gluten-sensitive enteropathy, otherwise known as celiac disease, is strongly associated with SS. The treatment of celiac disease by removal of gluten from the diet has been shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of autoimmune disorders elsewhere in your body, including Sjögren's syndrome.
References
- "Zeitschrift für Rheumatologie"; Concomitant Dermatitis Herpetiformis Duhring, Arthritis, and Sjögren's Syndrome in a Patient with Celiac Disease; J. Kaufmann, et al.; April 1998
- "British Journal of Rheumatology"; Oligoarthritis -- a Presenting Feature of Occult Coeliac Disease; K. Chakravarty, D.G. Scott; May 1992
- "American Journal of Gastroenterology"; Celiac Disease and Markers of Celiac Disease Latency in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome; S. Iltanen, et al.: April 1999
- "American Family Physician"; Celiac Disease; R.J. Presutti, et al.; December 2007
- "Gastroenterology Clinics of North America"; Celiac Disease and Autoimmunity in the Gut and Elsewhere; S.H. Barton, J.A. Murray; June 2008
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