About - The Australian Sjögren's Syndrome Association | HealthUnlocked

The Australian Sjogren's Syndrome Association Inc. was incorporated in Parramatta in 2001, although due to illness of the founder, the association did not commence trading until June 2004 in Mullumbimby, Northern NSW. The name of the founder and president is Ms Beverly Norton.

Background

The Association was started by Beverly Norton who, in May 2000, was diagnosed with Sjogren's, a disease that Australian doctors knew very little about. Sjogren's (pronounced show-grins) syndrome is a chronic, autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own moisture producing glands. The specific causes of Sjogren's syndrome are not known, but multiple factors are probably involved. These include genetics, viruses, hormones or a combination of all of these. It is critical that it is identified quickly and treated otherwise it can be fatal.