For more than twenty years, Ana Vieira lived with unexplained symptoms and unanswered questions before finally receiving a diagnosis of Sjögren’s disease. Even then, it would take another decade before she gained access to specialist care that fully recognised the complexity and impact of her condition.
Today, Ana has transformed her personal experience into a powerful force for change. As Co-founder and Vice President of Sjögren Europe and an experienced patient research partner involved in European initiatives, she works to raise awareness, increase patient engagement, and improve the lives of people living with Sjögren’s disease across Europe.
In this interview, Ana shares her journey from years of uncertainty and delayed diagnosis to becoming one of Europe’s leading patient advocates, reflecting on the challenges she faced, the lessons she learned, and her vision for the future of Sjögren’s disease care and research.