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Suffering Sjogren S Syndrome. Dry Mouth And Eyes, Sleep Deprivation And Fatigue. Could This Be A Side Effect Of CAT Scan?
I have a female friend who has been suffering from Sjogren's Syndrome symptoms. While it has not been 100% established that she has Sjogren's Syndrome at this point, she has been suffering from the effects (dry mouth, dry eyes, throat problems, sleep deprivation, fatigue, etc.). Today, she had a CAT scan done to help diagnose her condition. I talked with her on the phone (she lives 800 miles away from me) shortly after she got home from the CAT scan, and she is in great distress. She says that she has absolutely zero saliva being produced (she was practically bone-dry before the CAT scan). Do you know if the CAT scan could have caused permanent damage to her salivary glands, or is this potentially a temporary condition that will go away?
Sat, 27 Apr 2013
Hi,
There is no documented evidence that one CAT scan can cause such damage to the salivary glands. It is possible that she was fasting for a long time before the CAT scan which may have induced this problem. Sometimes, after injection of contrast (dye) during the CAT scan, some patients experience dryness of mouth, shortness of breath, etc. which may have been exaggerated in your friend. However, this is temporary and settles within few minutes. Her symptoms are probably unrelated to the scan.
She probably will recover her existing salivary function soon. As for Sjogren's a definite diagnosis needs to be made before she can be treated and an expert consultation maybe required.
Sincerely,
Vamshi
There is no documented evidence that one CAT scan can cause such damage to the salivary glands. It is possible that she was fasting for a long time before the CAT scan which may have induced this problem. Sometimes, after injection of contrast (dye) during the CAT scan, some patients experience dryness of mouth, shortness of breath, etc. which may have been exaggerated in your friend. However, this is temporary and settles within few minutes. Her symptoms are probably unrelated to the scan.
She probably will recover her existing salivary function soon. As for Sjogren's a definite diagnosis needs to be made before she can be treated and an expert consultation maybe required.
Sincerely,
Vamshi
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