A Clinician S Guide To Rheumatic Diseases In Children

In the United States alone, roughly 300,000 children suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, such as juvenile arthritis, fibromyalgia, scleroderma, or Kawasaki disease, and millions more are at risk of developing one of these diseases. But so often pain in children is dismissed by primary care professionals as "growing pains." In this book for pediatricians and nurses who encounter young patients with musculoskeletal pain, Dr. Lehman provides a step-by-step guide to making accurate diagnoses and referrals and prescribing the proper treatment, reflecting the state-of-the-art in emerging therapies, both traditional and alternative.

'This volume comes at an important time in the development of the discipline, and reflects the knowledge gained by the authors through decades of hands-on experience of treating children and adolescents with the entire spectrum of rheumatic diseases. It emphasizes the integration of the expertise of all health care providers in an interactive team' - Ross Petty in the Foreword. This highly practical handbook is easy to read and refer to on a daily basis. The wide-ranging style encourages a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to provide continuity of care, and the handy binding and layout is designed to aid quick access of core information. Featuring over 230 full-colour images and reproducible resources for patients and carers, this guide is a vital resource for Allied Health Professionals, especially those working with children.

Here is a gold mine of expert advice that is invaluable both for parents whose children have rheumatic disorders and for parents of children with complaints, discomfort, or disability who are not getting the answers they need from their physician. Using simple analogies and illustrative anecdotes to illuminate hard-to-grasp concepts, Dr. Lehman helps parents interpret their child's complaints and to determine whether medical attention is needed. Even more important, the book explains to parents how to follow through with a physician and make sure their child receives the appropriate tests, the proper diagnosis, and ultimately, the best care possible.

Offers information on rheumatic illnesses and explores a range of solutions for medical, emotional, social, and school-related problems children with arthritis may have. Includes the major types of childhood arthritis: juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, and scleroderma.

One of the founders of the field of pediatric rheumatology, Dr. Jerry C. Jacobs, comprehensively discusses the care of children with rheumatic diseases and musculoskeletal disorders in this clinical reference. The author has completely revised and updated the text and references. A significant portion of the book is devoted to differential diagnosis; in fact, one of the book's strongest points is the detailed, illustrated description of the physical examination of joints in children. From the reviews of the first edition: "The section on the differential diagnosis of arthritis is the most comprehensive treatise of the subject that I have seen." #New England Journal of Medicine#1 "This is a book that one can pick up and read sections of and go back to again and again, and as such should be readily available wherever people are caring for children with joint complaints." #British Medical Journal#2 "Photographs, both clinical and pathological, radiographs, tables and graphs appear on almost every page and the layout is good so that the text is attractive as well as readable." #British Journal of Rheumatology#3 "...deals with all the facets of rheumatism or arthritis likely to be met with in the clinic. ...Above all the book is user friendly: very comprehensive index sections facilitate access to material, and the provision of many lists and summary tables helps in the location and clarification of information. ...The whole results in a book that is pleasant and surprisingly easy to read ...it would form an ideal library copy, both for selective reading and reference, and should be read by all paediatric rheumatologists." #The Lancet#4

In the United States alone, roughly 300,000 children suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, and millions more are at risk of developing one of these diseases. In this marvelously down-to-earth guide, Thomas Lehman--the head of one of the leading pediatric rheumatology programs in the world--offers a gold mine of expert advice invaluable for pediatricians who want to become more proficient in understanding, diagnosing, and treating rheumatic disease in children. Dr. Lehman helps pediatricians interpret their patients' complaints and determine whether and what type of medical attention is needed, explaining what symptoms to look for, what questions to ask, what tests to run, and what to expect when treatment begins. Using illustrative anecdotes, this book sheds light on a wide range of rheumatic disorders--including juvenile arthritis, Lyme disease, lupus, Kawasaki disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome--and it addresses such crucial topics as drug safety, genetic considerations, the potential risks to children posed by medications, the difficulty of family life when a child has a chronic disease, and much more. A Clinician's Guide to Rheumatic Diseases in Children captures the expertise of a dedicated physician with over thirty years of hands-on experience helping children lead normal, happy lives. It will help pediatricians make sure that patients achieve the best possible outcome.

Tremendous progress has been made in the field of rheumatology over the past decade. This issue, with contributions from a group of international experts, will provide clinicians with new knowledge of the basic mechanisms of inflammation that contribute to the rheumatic diseases, as well as many other inflammatory disorders. The tremendous advances in understanding how to measure function and other outcome measures of relevance to patients and families will be reviewed. New modalities in the imaging of rheumatic diseases, as well as new serologic and genetic tests will be critically reviewed to provide the practicing clinician with a better way to diagnose these potentially devastating diseases. Each of the classic pediatric rheumatic diseases will be concisely reviewed to provide the clinician with state of the art knowledge needed to recognize and help manage these patients. Finally, the important topic of transition will assist physicians in preparing their patients for the world of adult medicine.

Packed with information, hope, and encouragement.