OMRF needs participants for Sjögren’s Syndrome study
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is working to find an effective treatment for Sjögren’s syndrome.
“It’s an autoimmune disease where your immune system is attacking your own cells,” Hal Scofield, M.D., a staff scientist at OMRF, said.
Some of the symptoms include dry eyes and mouth, skin rashes and joint pain.
More commonly found in middle aged women, Dr. Hal Scofield says about one out of every 200 people have Sjögren’s.
“Some people have what is sometimes referred to as brain fog. They don’t feel like they can concentrate. They can’t think very well which is hard to define sometimes,” Dr. Scofield said.
With such a wide variety of symptoms, Dr. Hal Scofield says it has been difficult to find a treatment, which is why they are looking for participants for a clinical trial.
“Some people get the actual drug, and some people get the placebo and nobody knows which. The subject doesn’t know, the patients don’t know and then the people running the trial don’t know who’s getting what until the end,” Scofield said.
OMRF hopes to develop the first ever drug to treat Sjögren’s Syndrome.
“We really think the best way to treat the disease is to understand it better. Understand what’s going on in the immune system, in your genetics and environmental exposures maybe and determine what causes the disease,” Scofield said.
If you are interested in participating in the clinical trial, call (405) 271-7745 or email Kallena-Haynes@omrf.org.
If you are interested in participating in a one-time research evaluation call 405-868-9412 or email Sjogrens@omrf.org.
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