THOUSAND OAKS : Sjogren’s Syndrome Conference Planned
The local chapter of the National Sjogren’s Syndrome Assn. will host its first area conference at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Speakers at the free forum will include Barbara Henry, the president of the Phoenix-based organization, and local physicians.
Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune system dysfunction that causes joint pain and swelling, burning eyes, dry mouth and chronic sinus infections, may afflict more than 4 million people worldwide, say researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
The disease causes the body’s white blood cells to become confused and attack blood vessels and glands.
Sjogren’s syndrome patient Marno McCarley of Thousand Oaks helped organize the local chapter after she was diagnosed five years ago. McCarley said there is no known cure for Sjogren’s syndrome, though some patients have improved with steroid injections.
Admission to the conference is free and open to the public. For more information on the conference, call McCarley at 498-6215.
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