About the Cause
Sjögren’s (SHOW-grins) is the second most prevalent rheumatic autoimmune disease. It is a systemic, serious and prevalent disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the moisture producing glands. As many as four million Americans are affected by Sjögren's, making it three times more common than better known related diseases such as Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis, and nine out of ten Sjögren’s patients are women. While hallmark symptoms include dry eye, dry mouth, fatigue and joint pain, Sjögren’s is a systemic autoimmune disease, which means it can also attack any organ or body. Unfortunately, Sjögren's remains relatively unknown and is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, with the average time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis being 2.8 years.
The Sjögren’s Foundation is the only national non-profit dedicated to increasing education, awareness and research for Sjögren’s. Founded in 1983, the Foundation has grown into a multi-faceted organization that has expanded its outreach, increased its funding for research and education, and continues to raise awareness for this common, yet complex disease.
The Sjögren's Foundation's mission is to:
- Support Sjögren’s patients and their loved ones through education, resources and services
- Provide credible resources and education for healthcare professionals
- Serve as the voice for all Sjögren’s patients through advocacy and awareness initiatives
- Lead, encourage and fund innovative research projects to better understand, diagnose and treat Sjögren’s
The Sjögren's Foundation envisions a world where Sjögren's is a household name and we are extremely focused on making this vision a reality.
In the upcoming year, the Foundation plans to:
- Continue to provide COVID-19 updates, news, information and support to our Sjögren’s community.
- Further support patients, family and caregivers
- Further encourage, support and fund new and innovative research grants that will bring novel approaches to treatment and the development of new diagnostics for Sjögren's.
- Expand our focus on educating all healthcare providers about the severity of Sjögren’s and its numerous manifestations
- Increase the accessibility and availability of products for the treatment of Sjögren’s by advocating for clinical trials for Sjögren’s.
- Continue to partner with pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to develop new therapeutics for Sjögren’s.
- Assist in getting new Sjögren’s drugs to market by working with the FDA
- Continue our work on Clinical Patient Guidelines for Sjögren’s - a guide for physicians on how to treat, manage and monitor Sjögren’s - to improve the quality of care for Sjögren’s patients.
