Oral Pilocarpine for Symptomatic Relief of Dry Mouth and Dry Eyes in Patients with Sjögrens Syndrome

Abstract

Sjögrens syndrome (SS) is an immunologic disorder characterized by progressive destruction of the exocrine glands leading to mucosal and conjunctival dryness.¹ Virtually any organ system of the body may be affected in the SS patient, but the disease progress is usually most striking in the salivary and lacrimal glands, where there is a progressive mononuclear cell infiltrate that generally leads to scarring.² Loss of exocrine function accompanying these tissue changes are responsible for many of the manifestations of SS, including the clinical symptoms of xerostomia and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS).^2,3 Patients complain of severe dryness of the mouth and gritty, dry, burning, or itching sensations in the eyes.² Lack of saliva may cause,oral discomfort, pain, inflammation, mucositis, dysgeusia, candidiasis, increased caries, and periodontal disease. This may lead to poor nutrition and difficulty with social interactions.