Black History of Health: Venus Williams

Venus Willams is incomparable.

One of the most decorated tennis players in its history, she has managed to come out as the victor of most challenges she faced on the court. One obstacle she didn’t foresee was her battle with her own body while in the prime of her career.

For the past decade, she has struggled with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects about 4 million people in the U.S.

She first began noticing symptoms in 2004, experiencing fatigue and breathing difficulty.

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“No matter how hard I worked, I was exhausted, short of breath, and never felt in shape. It was really frustrating,” Williams told Prevention.com in an interview. "My symptoms got progressively worse, to the point where I couldn’t play professional tennis anymore."

It took seven years to get an official diagnosis. Sjogren’s syndrome is most commonly spotted by doctors based on two of its most common symptoms: dry eye and dry mouth. But unfortunately with most autoimmune diseases, the symptoms are easily disguised by revolving causes.

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So, what is Sjögren’s Syndrome?

According to Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation, it is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. Along with symptoms of extensive dryness, other serious complications include profound fatigue, chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies, and lymphomas.

How is it diagnosed?

The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation reports that there is no single test that will confirm the diagnosis of Sjögren's and thus physicians must

conduct a series of tests and ask about symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Rheumatologists are mostly responsible for identifying, diagnosing, and managing Sjögren's and typically conduct a series of tests based on what patients have shared about symptoms. Additionally, eye or oral specialists might run tests if Sjögren's is suspected.

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Physicians will use a number of tests and questions to determine a Sjögren's diagnosis. These tests may include some of the following:

Blood Tests
SS-A (or Ro) and SS-B (or La): Marker antibodies for Sjögren’s. 70% of Sjögren’s patients are positive for SS-A and 40% are positive for SS-B. Also found in lupus patients.
Eye Tests
Schirmer test: Measures tear production.
Rose Bengal and Lissamine Green: Uses dyes to examine the surface of the eyes for dry spots.
Dental Tests
Salivary Flow: Measures the amount of saliva produced over a certain period of time.
Salivary Gland Biopsy (usually in the lower lip): Confirms lymphocytic infiltration of the minor salivary glands.

What treatments are available?

Fortunately, the illness can be managed.

In some situations, lifestyle changes can help certain symptoms such as fatigue and gastro-intestinal reflux, and over-the-counter products can help manage symptoms such as dryness.

Sjögren’s patients are often advised on a combination of management strategies, over-the-counter products and prescription drugs. Most patients will need prescription medications at some point in their disease course to help control their disease and reduce the potential for complications.

A number of different medications are available that can be used to manage symptoms. Currently, no single medication has been conclusively proven to slow the progression of Sjögren’s or treat all aspects of the disease.