Lupus Q A

Offers practical advice about a health condition which predominantly affects young women.

Often considered the prototypic autoimmune disease, Lupus is characterized by protean manifestations and affects a wide range of organ systems. Despite widespread availability of anti nuclear antibody testing and other technological diagnostic advances, the diagnosis of lupus can be elusive, difficult, and inexact. Treatment of the disease can also be challenging. Advances in immunology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning world of new therapies in development that offer patients the real possibility of new therapies and physicians and scientists novel insights into the pathogenesis of this complicated immunological disease. Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Evaluation and Treatment summarizes the clinical aspects of lupus facing the general clinician in the 21st century. In this invaluable, practical book, the reader will find introductory chapters regarding general diagnostic and treatment principles, followed by chapters addressing the lupus-specific organ manifestations. Special topics regarding pregnancy and comorbidities are also presented. Written by highly experienced physicians with special expertise in lupus, Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Evaluation and Treatment is an indispensable reference for the common and not so common problems affecting patients with lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, the prototype of an autoimmune disorder, may affect several organs and may run a chronic course between relapse and remission. This book covers important aspects of the disease, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, and neuropsychiatric manifestations, including basic science and clinical features and management. In affected patients, the fundamental problem of fertility is reassessed including the risk of the disease, the possibility of fetal loss, the safety of drugs during pregnancy, and the current diagnostic and suggested therapeutic strategies of reproductive medicine. Finally, the issue of pathogenesis is revisited with a thorough description of animal models in relation to physiology and potential novel therapies.

More than 140 years ago, lupus erythematosus (LE) was recognized as a disease entity by clinicians working in the field of dermatology, which had only recently become an independent medical discipline. Soon after cutaneous lupus was first reported, it was realized that, apart from the skin, the disease could involve other organs and thus be systemic in nature. The latter observations were first made by MORITZ KApOSI [1], whose work has attracted renewed attention re cently and who succeeded FERDINAND VON HEBRA to the chair of dermatology at the Medical Faculty in Vienna. The early description of lupus erythematosus in both its cutaneous and systemic manifes tations was thus intimately associated with Vienna and its Medical School. The next phase in the study of lupus was characterized by an in crease in knowledge of the type and extent of organ involvement. The work by OSLER [2], LIBMANN and SACKS [3], and KLEMPERER [4] best represents these advances. The increase in clinical knowledge of LE finally led to DUBOIS' famous monograph [5], which was pub lished at a time of renewed interest in SLE, elicited by the descrip tion by HARGRAVES et al. [6] of the LE-cell phenomenon. A more detailed analysis of this finding revealed that the disease was charac terized by an abnormal immune response, although its pathogenetic implications were still unclear.

During the past 50 years, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been the main subject in the field of immunopathology. Each individual discovery was followed by the discovery of a multitude of related immune phenomena. This book reflects the present status of our understanding of this protean disease. Various animal models clearly show that different gene combinations can lead to the final clinical expression of SLE, with HLA class II genes probably responsible for the targeting of the autoimmune response. Similarly, research on cytokines in SLE patients has shown that SLE is a syndrome depending on different pathways. Finally, the question of prognosis is discussed. Fortunately, with every passing decade, the prognosis for patients with SLE gets better and better.

This book serves as a concise resource on the accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of lupus. It is a practical, evidence-based volume that describes the pathophysiology of the condition, diagnostic strategies and tools, as well as current and emergerging therapeutic options.

A rheumatologist and a psychologist offer an informative and compassionate perspective on coping with lupus for patients and their families. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that is difficult to diagnose, and the symptoms-from achy joints to skin rashes-often mimic those of other diseases. Based on extensive research and clinical experience, Lupus Q&A answers the myriad questions of the more than 1.4 million lupus patients in this country. The book demystifies lupus by explaining diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, medication, and the psychological impact of the disease.