What can cause sjogren like symptoms? what are possible causes for dry mouth and dry eyes in a patient? standard rheumatological assessment (blood work) was negative for sjogrens. can plastic or it's derivatives cause immune system dysfunction? how does

The : The most frequent cause for dry eyes has to do with the enviroment . When mouth or other mucosa are effected the problem might be systemic . The diagnosis is a clinical diagnosis and the test are simple, a schirmer test for the eyes , that is done by the eye doctor with a small adsorbent paper and for the mouth the old question of are you able to swallow and chew a cracker with out water . The lab data might help to increase the suspicion of the presence of the disease

Sicca : Sicca symptoms (dry mouth and eyes) are frequently caused by medications, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, certain blood pressure drugs, anti-parkinson drugs, and birth control pills. These symptoms are also part of the aging process for some people, and they are particularly common among menopausal women. Evaluation for sjogren's syndrome includes a battery of tests that screen for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune disorders. If all of these tests are negative, it will be difficult to implicate immune dysfunction as a cause of your symptoms. However, if you work in plastic manufacturing, there could be something in your environment that is, indeed, contributing to your problems. If so, some of your co-workers could have the same symptoms. If you can identify some of the chemicals you are exposed to, your doctor may be able to help you focus on some potential causes for your dry eyes and mouth and order appropriate tests. In addition, have your physician review the medications and supplements you take. Sometimes a simple change will alleviate what seems to be a complex problem. Good luck!

Meds: If immune workup is negative, the most common cause of dry eye/ mouth is systemic meds.