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Lupus is an extremely common, potentially treatable, disease of the immune system. It affects approximately 1 in 1000 women and is more common than diseases such as multiple sclerosis and leukaemia. Despite this, there is little information concerning the disease in contrast to other illnesses of similar prevalence.
Many people are unaware of the symptoms, treatment, and prevention of lupus. It is important that these topics are highlighted for many reasons. For example, a greater understanding of the symptoms of lupus will enable patients to recognise the symptoms earlier, and get treatment faster; before any serious damage is done. Similarly, awareness of preventative measures may reduce the number of cases of lupus that occur.
From a different perspective, it would be of great use to have an easily accessible source of information available to lupus patients that would highlight issues such as treatment options and sources of support.
In summary, although knowledge of lupus is growing, greater awareness of the disease amongst both patients and the general public is an issue that needs to be addressed.
List of contents
Lupus in a nutshell.- What to look for?.- The rise and rise of lupus.- What causes lupus?.- Lupus and the world around us.- Features of Lupus.- The clinical picture.- The skin.- The kidney.- Heart and lungs.- The brain.- The blood.- Pregnancy and lupus.- 'First Cousins of Lupus'.- Sjögren's syndrome.- Hughes syndrome (antiphospholipid syndrome).- Mixed connective tissue disease (Sharpe's syndrome).- Tests in Lupus.- Antibody tests.- Other tests.- Treatment of Lupus.- General treatment of lupus.- Plaquenil® and antimalarials.- Steroids.- Immunosuppresives.- Other drugs and treatments in lupus.- Treatment of Hughes syndrome.- Osteoporosis and lupus.- The future.- Where can I find out more?.
Report
From the reviews:
"In this book, Dr. Hughes takes lupus patients through the history of the disease, its manifestations, diagnostic tests, and therapy. ... It is written for patients and their families by one of the foremost researchers in this field. ... I think it does a good job translating complex medical terms into easily understood descriptions. ... It is a useful reference that I can recommend to my patients." (Chris Phillips, Doody's Review Service, March, 2009)
