Suffering From Dry Eyes, Sore Throat, Joint Pains And Pins And Needles In Legs. Suggest

Posted on Sun, 17 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 Answered on

Fri, 6 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have dry eyes - the lids stick to the eyeballs when I wake up and they're released only when I add tears from a bottle. Occasionally one eye weeps down my cheek in the evening. I frequently get a sore throat that stems from very thick mucus. If I insert my finger and scrape some out, it bears similarity to the slime produced by Lung Fish under threat. It feels like a plastic bag and makes swallowing difficult. The only way I can get rid of it is to eat something like toast. Not good for my diet. It soon returns. My mouth doesn't feel dry though. I do have extremely painful joints - wrists, shoulders, thumbs. I also have an odd sensation in the shin area of my legs - almost pins and needles - both more sensitive and less sensitive at the same time - I can't really describe it.

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: All these symptoms are indicating Sjogrens syndrom Detailed Answer: Hello Welcome to health care magic. It seems from the history you have provided that you are having dry eyes associated with sore throat having thick mucus and painful joints. All these symptoms indicate a autoimmune syndrome known as Sjogrens syndrome. The diagnosis of this syndrome is mainly by the symptoms and the symptoms you have mentioned like dry eyes, dry throat with thick mucus and painful joints are typical of this disease. The confirmation is by investigations like blood tests to look for antinuclear antibodies. Hence I advice you to consult Rheumatologist for further evaluation and treatment accordingly. Hope I have answered your query. With regards Dr Dadapeer K

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dadapeer K (9 hours later)

Dear Dr Dadapeer Thanks for your reply. I don't have a particularly dry mouth except in the mornings when I sometimes awake with what feels like a film over my lips and 'furry' teeth. Could Sjogrens still be indicated?

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (44 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Yes I will consider Sjogrens syndrome first. Detailed Answer: Dear Sir Thank you for the followup query. I would like to consider Sjogrens syndrome as first diagnosis because of Symptoms of joint pain with dry eyes. Regarding dry mouth it can present in various ways like difficulty in swallowing, coating of mouth and these may vary in severity. Age as this is more common in elderly individuals. Hence advice you to rule out Sjogrens syndrome first by blood tests . If these tests come negative then we will be left with dry eyes and joint pains as two different entities which can be treated without much problem. Hope I have answered your query. With regards Dr Dadapeer k

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar