Problems due to Sjögren’s found to reduce women’s quality of life
Disrupted sleep, sexual discomfort due to dryness ID'd as issues in review study
Women with primary Sjögren’s disease often face a combination of problems — key among them a weaker sense of taste and smell, disrupted sleep, and sexual discomfort caused by dryness — that reduce their quality of life.
That’s according to a new review of more than a dozen studies, which showed that mucosal dryness, or a lack of sufficient moisture in the linings of body cavities like the mouth, nose, and throat, is an underlying issue for these patients.
“This systematic review highlights that mucosal dryness contributes to diminished taste and smell, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and poor sleep,” the researchers wrote.
While the duo of scientists from India identified this quality of life issue, they stressed the need for longitudinal research, involving data collection from patients over a period of time, to learn more.
“Longitudinal research is needed to determine whether early diagnosis and targeted interventions can improve the [quality of life] in these patients,” the team wrote.
The study detailing their findings, titled “Impact of Primary Sjogren Syndrome (pSS) on Sexual Life, Quality of Sleep and Chemosensory Function of Female Patients — A Systematic Review,” was published in the Indian Journal of Rheumatology.
Sjögren’s is an autoimmune disease that causes damage mainly to the glands in the body that produce moisture, such as the salivary and tear-producing glands. It can occur on its own, when it’s known as primary Sjögren’s, or alongside another autoimmune disease.
While many patients experience dry eyes and a dry mouth, Sjögren’s can cause symptoms in other mucosal linings of the body, such as the nose and the vagina in women — who are nine times more likely to develop the disease than men.
Review covered more than a dozen studies involving over 750 women
To understand the impact of primary Sjögren’s on women’s sensory function — their sense of smell and taste — sexual life, and quality of sleep, the researchers systematically reviewed studies that described such findings, published between September 2015 and August 2023.
“The main objective of this review is to systematically evaluate the impact of mucosal dryness on the sensory functions affected by this condition in patients with [Sjögren’s],” the researchers wrote.
A total of 14 studies — covering 787 women, ages 18-70, who were diagnosed with Sjögren’s — were used in the final analysis. Five studies reported on the disease’s impact on the senses of smell and taste, while another five examined its effects on sexual function. The remaining four reported on the impact of Sjögren’s on sleep quality. All of these domains were assessed with validated measures, the researchers noted.
Pooled sensory function data showed that a significantly greater proportion of women with Sjögren’s had a reduced or no ability to taste (51% vs. 12%) or smell (42% vs. 9%) relative to healthy controls.
This can occur in Sjögren’s because detecting flavors and odors depends on mucus in the nose and saliva in the mouth, which help dissolve chemicals from food or scents. When dryness interferes with this process, these sensory signals do not reach the brain properly, leaving patients with blunted perceptions.
The impact of dryness was also clear in the sexual lives of women with the condition, the data showed. Vaginal dryness was reported in several different studies, making it one of the most significant challenges identified.
Pooled data demonstrated that women with Sjögren’s scored significantly worse than healthy controls in terms of arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
Fatigue, sleep disturbances common, negatively affect life quality
Another main problem was poor sleep. Pooled results showed that 63.5% of women with Sjögren’s had poor sleep quality. Compared with healthy women, the Sjögren’s group showed significantly worse sleep scores.
“The poor sleepers reported greater eye dryness, [joint pain] and eyeball pain, as well as increased fatigue and depression,” the researchers wrote.
According to the team, these findings reinforce that Sjögren’s extends beyond eye and mouth dryness. It disrupts basic senses, affects intimate relationships, and damages sleep — all elements that shape how people experience daily life, the researchers noted.
“Fatigue and sleep disturbances are common in [primary Sjögren’s] and negatively affect overall well-being and QoL [quality of life],” the duo wrote.
Clinical management of female patients with [primary Sjögren’s] should cover the assessment of their sexual functionality and take the necessary precautions to maintain satisfactory QoL [quality of life] and treatment [outcomes].
More attention to these problems could help patients not only manage symptoms but also recover some benefits in daily in living, per the team.
“Clinical management of female patients with [primary Sjögren’s] should cover the assessment of their sexual functionality and take the necessary precautions to maintain satisfactory QoL and treatment [outcomes],” the researchers wrote.
Still, larger and more detailed studies are needed to confirm these findings, understand the mechanisms behind these symptoms, and test solutions that can ease these burdens for women with the disease, the team concluded.
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