(Provided by Tennis World USA)
After missing the US Open Series entirely due to a viral illness, Venus Williams entered the 2011 US Open as world No. 36. In the first round she beat Serbian Vesna Dolonc, but the US legewnd then withdrew from playing the second match of the tournament.
The cause of that gesture was the diagnosis of a rheumatic autoimmune disease, which takes away her energy, tiring her and causing pain in her joints: the Sjögren’s syndrome.Venus Williams has revealed the best ways to deal with the problem and to live her best life possible.
She did it a few hours ago in a Q&A session on her YouTube profile.She said, in response to a user’s question: “If your eyes are so dry, you can’t function. Or your mouth is so dry that, I don’t even want to mention the consequences.
I hope you’re getting the care you need, find out what medicines work for you. Make sure you get enough sleep, find out what your limit is. If you push past your limit, you can start to crash. You can still achieve the same things but you are going to have to do it in a way that you can sustain.”She further added: “You can still achieve the same things, but you’re going to have to do it in a way that you can sustain.”Here is the video shared by Venus on YouTube:
About Sjögren’s Syndrome
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, characterized by the destruction of exocrine glands mediated by T lymphocytes.
There is also an excessive activation of B lymphocytes with production of autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor (RF), anti SS-A /Ro and anti SS-B/La. If the disease occurs as an isolated picture it is referred to as primary Sjögren’s syndrome, but if it is in association with other autoimmune diseases it presents as secondary Sjögren’s syndrome.
The disease is particularly active on the salivary glands where an influx of mononuclear cells gives rise to widespread scarring. Renal involvement such as lymphocytic interstitial nephritis or immune complex glomerulonephritis may occur.
Lung involvement is mononuclear cell infiltrates, but pseudolymphomatous masses may occasionally occur. Patients may develop immune complex vasculitis in association with cryoglobulinemia.Manifestations in the central and peripheral nervous systems are secondary to the vasculitis.
Patients present two types of immunological alterations: the first is represented by the excessive activation of immune cells consisting mainly of T lymphocytes which can cause dryness of the mucous membranes, interstitial nephritis, interstitial pneumonia and meningoencephalitis.The second is represented by a polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes resulting in hypergammaglobulinaemia, polycolumnal peaks on protein electrophoresis and production of autoantibodies.
