If you have dry mouth and also have dry eyes, you could have a disease called Sjogren's syndrome. The next question asks about features of this disease that could make it more likely in your case.
In addition to the dry eyes and dry mouth, do you have one or more of the following?
- Swelling in the parotid gland(s) -- these are salivary glands located on the sides of the face, just below and in front of the ears (we'll return to this later in the guide).
- Abnormalities on specialized tests of tear or saliva production performed by your doctors, usually an eye doctor or ear-nose-and-throat doctor. (If you aren't sure if you've had any of these checked, just ask your doctors!). These tests include theSchirmer'stest, Rose-Bengal staining, basal and stimulated salivary flow, or lip biopsy.
- Positive (abnormal) antibody in the blood, called anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), especially with one type of ANA calledanti-Ro. Again, if you aren't sure whether this has been checked, ask your doctor.