Free Community Talk on Nov. 4 will Focus on Sjogren’s Syndrome
WHAT: Free talk titled “Sjogren’s Syndrome: More Than Just Dryness”SPEAKER: Rheumatologist from URMC’s Sjogren’s clinic, Andreea Coca, M.D. WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4 WHERE: Pittsford Community Library, 24 State St., Pittsford INFO: Call Sharon Hoffman at (585) 582-6114 or Melanie Young at (315) 483-4528
University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) rheumatologist Andreea Coca, M.D., will lead a free community health discussion on Sjogren’s syndrome at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Pittsford Community Library. The Upstate New York Sjogren’s Syndrome Support Group is sponsoring the talk.
Sjogren’s is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which a person’s white blood cells misfire, ravaging their moisture-producing glands instead of attacking germ invaders. Coca, an assistant professor of Medicine, is leading URMC’s new Sjogren’s clinic, which launched in March and caters exclusively to area patients suffering from the frustrating dry eyes and mouth disease.
But the disease, as Coca will point out, is systemic and can cause more than just bothersome dryness: there also can be significant long-term harm. Too often, the individual and the general medical community do not take "dry eyes and mouth" seriously.
In fact, the entire body, in addition to the eyes and mouth, can experience organ damage if Sjogren's is left untreated. Severe arthritis and nerve damage – including neuropathies with numbness, tingling and pain in arms and legs – are among the potential problems that can develop over time. Coca will discuss other long term risks during the presentation.
For more information regarding this free talk, call Sharon Hoffman at (585) 582-6114 or Melanie Young at (315) 483-4528. To learn more about URMC’s new clinic or to book an appointment with a URMC rheumatologist, call 341-7900.