Dry syndrome is a chronic and persistent disease that must not be left untreated

  At present, domestic and foreign physicians have different understanding on whether and how to treat dry syndrome. The misunderstanding in treatment is mainly that the disease is untreatable or does not need treatment. As a result of sitting on the changes of the disease for a long time, the condition of many patients becomes more and more serious, and eventually interstitial fibrosis of lung, hyperglobulinemia, hypocellularity of whole blood, as well as impaired liver and kidney function.  Because of the lesions involved in the system of dry syndrome, the pathological basis is B cell hyperfunction and the resulting excessive antibody production and other immune abnormalities, which then cause lymphocyte infiltration of secretory glands, damage to lung and liver, and even lymphoma. Therefore, in addition to symptomatic treatment, the key to the treatment of severely ill patients and patients with organ damage lies in the suppression of excessive abnormal immune responses, and the principle of individualized medication should be followed.  Patients should choose immunosuppressants according to their own condition for “curative” treatment under the guidance of doctors. In the long-term chronic treatment of dry syndrome, first of all, symptomatic treatment is needed for dryness of the mouth and eyes, such as sodium glassate eye drops treatment, which can not only relieve the discomfort of the eyes, but also prevent dry conjunctivitis and other hazards. It is worth noting that most patients with dry syndrome do not necessarily need to apply hormone therapy, but treatment and intervention should be carried out according to the condition of different patients.  The main treatment includes: (1) For patients with mild symptoms, i.e. mild symptoms of dry mouth and eyes, no extra-glandular organ involvement, normal or only mildly elevated serum antibodies and immunoglobulins, hydroxychloroquine, leucovorin and other mild botanicals can be used for treatment.  (2) Azathioprine, cyclosporine, leflunomide, etc. should be given to moderate to severe patients with systemic injury such as organ involvement, and cyclophosphamide may be considered for severe visceral involvement, as well as early control of the patient’s B-cell hyperfunction state.  (3) Emphasize the regular application of hormones: small doses of hormones can be given to patients with obvious symptoms, and timely dose reduction will not bring about significant adverse effects. It should be emphasized that patients with hormone application should be added with appropriate amount of immunosuppressant, and blindly think that no hormone will delay the disease.  (4) Symptomatic and other treatments: emphasis should be placed on the local treatment of dry mouth and dry eyes for patients with dry syndrome, and these measures are important for relieving symptoms and reducing complications. For those who have broad-spectrum or high-titer autoantibodies in serum and have poor response to medical treatment, immunosorbent machine plasma replacement therapy can be considered, but the indications must be strictly mastered to avoid the abuse of this method.  Some herbal medicines may have some effect on this disease to relieve symptoms such as dry mouth and eyes or joint pain, but the immunosuppressive effect is not clear, so blind use is harmful. Moreover, herbal medicines have certain side effects, and attention should be paid to monitor any damage to the liver, kidneys and gonads during application.