<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

In message Sat, 9 Dec 1995 10:45:30 -0800,
  Lisa McKinney <[log in to unmask]>  writes:

> Sjogren's Syndrome:  a symptom complex of unknown etiology, usually
> occurring in middle-aged or older women, marked by keratoconjunctivitis
> sicca, xerostomia, and enlargement of the parotid glands; it is often
> associated with rheumatoid arthritis and sometimes with systemic lupus
> erythematosus, scleroderma, or polymyositis.  An abnormal immune
> response has been implicated.  Called also Gougerot-Nuloch-Houwer
> syndrome, sicca syndrome and Sjogren's disease.

My physician has repeatedly told me that my dry eyes/lips are something I'll
just have to live with, and he doesn't think much of the Sjogren's disease
possibility.  Could any of the medical people on-line comment on the link
between the parotid gland (a salivary gland) and dry eyes/Sjogren's?  I had
my left parotid gland removed in 1986 due to a benign mixed tumor, and
started having severe dry eye problems in February 1995, after being on a
strict gluten-free diet for several years.  Could there be a connection?  I
am a woman in my thirties, so I don't fit the "middle aged or older"
profile like some of the others who've written in.

Laura
[log in to unmask]
Ithaca, NY, USA