World Sjögrens Day

 

Today is World Sjögrens Day.

Last November I was having trouble swallowing, which I initially assumed was a recurrence of trouble I'd had earlier where stomach acid was burning my swallowing muscles so they didn't work right. However, it now seems that I've developed Sjögrens disease, an autoimmune condition where your body attacks glands that produce moisture. In my case I had dry eyes that were so dry I was getting blotchy vision, and a dry mouth that made it hard to swallow. Eye drops and being careful to drink really often have made an immense difference.

However, I recently came across the idea that having low stomach acid can trigger autoimmune conditions. As I understand it, low stomach acid alters what bacteria are present in your gut, and one of the things 'good' gut bacteria do is mediate what can get from your gut into your bloodstream. Messing with the gut microbiome can mean that larger molecules get through to your bloodstream, and those can then lodge in bits of your body that are in some sense vulnerable (I don't understand the explanation of what makes them vulnerable), causing inflammation that then triggers an autoimmune response.

Since 2023, to help with the original swallowing issue I've been on losec, a medication that prevents your stomach from making acid. I'm currently trialing being off it and have, 3 1/2 weeks' in, gone from needing eye drops 10+ times a day down to 2-3, plus I no longer have 'ropey' saliva. So that's a win! I'm also taking Acidex 3-4 times a day (which is like gaviscon dual action but with much less antacid) and have raised the head of our bed 5 inches. Those two interventions seem to largely be keeping my stomach acid where it should be and will hopefully keep my swallowing issues at bay.

It's early days, but I'm hopeful I soon won't have Sjögrens - or, at least, will stick with this more mild version.