After pulling out of this year's U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, professional tennis player Venus Williams has announced to reporters that she has Sjögren's Syndrome, a rare medical condition that according to the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation website, is an acute autoimmune disease that causes people's white blood cells to attack moisture producing glands. According to Sports Illustrated, the condition caused pain in Ms. William's joints, making play quite difficult.
What is Sjögren's Syndrome?
As is so often the case with rare medical conditions, Sjögren's Syndrome is generally unknown by people in the general population and is only now being openly discussed because someone famous has let it be known they have it.
According to the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation site, over 4 million American's are currently living with the condition which can sometimes be debilitating. WebMD says that the syndrome, which it says is pronounced "SHOH-grins" is a disease that causes the immune system to interfere with the way sweat and saliva glands work. It can also apparently cause fatigue and joint pain (as is the case with Ms. Williams). In some rare cases it can also cause damage to the lungs, kidneys and nerves.
Though doctor's don't know what causes the syndrome, it apparently runs in families, which in this case means, Ms. Williams sister and fellow professional tennis player, Serena will likely need to be tested as well, especially in light of the medical problems she had last year (reported in an earlier Sports Illustrated article as clots in her lungs and blood under the skin of her stomach.) WebMD says the disease is also common in people with other ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or scleroderma.
There is no actual test for Sjögren's Syndrome, doctors diagnose it by asking questions such as does the patient have dry eyes or mouth for an extended period of time. After that blood is drawn to see if there are excess antibodies present which is yet another indicator. After all that, it comes down to the physician's professional opinion.
What is the Prognosis for Venus Williams?
Because Sjögren's Syndrome is incurable, it's a condition Ms. Williams will have to live with for the rest of her life. Treatment likely will include working to alleviate symptoms, such as using mouth, eye or even vaginal ointments to relieve dryness and steroids for joint pain.
Since Ms. William's symptoms seem to include joint pain, and the treatment for it is steroids, it's doubtful she would be able to compete professionally since its use would cause her to fail drug
tests.
Sources
- "Venus' tennis future in question after withdrawing from U.S. Open" Sports Illustrated, viewed September 1, 2011
- "Conquering Sjögren's Syndrome" Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation, viewed September 1, 2011
- "Sjögren's Syndrome - Topic Overview" WebMd, viewed September 1, 2011
- "Serena easily rolls into second round" Sports Illustrated, viewed September 1, 2011
Bob Yirka - Bob Yirka has written thousands of online articles and backs them up with a BS in Computer Science/MS in Information Systems Management.
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