Infections as Risk Factor of Sjögren's Syndrome.

Purpose: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease targeting exocrine glands, leading to low body fluids production, especially on the salivary and lacrimal glands. Due to the low saliva and tear production, the common symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome are dry eyes and dry mouth, later on leading to uncomfortable sensations on the eye surface, cornea destruction, dental caries, and oral cavity infections. Several infections are known to cause similar side-effects to Sjögren's syndrome symptoms, including low saliva flow; therefore, infection is hypothesized as one of the risk factors of Sjögren's syndrome.