The London Lupus Centre, book of lupus : a patients' guide

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect virtually any system in the body. Think of it as a 'self-allergy' where the body attacks its own cells and tissues, causing inflammation, pain, and possible organ damage. Lupus is an extremely common and 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. __The London Lupus Centre Book of Lupus - a patient's guide__ provides a concise source of information on lupus and the surrounding issues. It will guide the reader through symptoms, causes and treatment of lupus, as well as more specific issues such as lupus in pregnancy, or osteoporosis and lupus. With a chapter on the 'first cousins' of lupus, namely Sjogren's syndrome, Hughes' syndrome and mixed connective tissue disease, the book is a useful resource not only for the lupus patient, but also for the interested general public and the medical nursing professions. Professor Graham R. V. Hughes is Head of the London Lupus Centre, UK; a founding member of the national patients' charity 'Lupus UK', and life President; founder and editor of the international journal __Lupus__. In 1983, Professor Hughes described the anti-phospholipid syndrome, now known as Hughes' syndrome, for which he was awarded the International League Against Rheumatism prize for research into rheumatic diseases.

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.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Chris Phillips, MD(Washington University Medical Center)
Description:In this book, Dr. Hughes takes lupus patients through the history of the disease, its manifestations, diagnostic tests, and therapy.
Purpose:The purpose is to create a greater awareness and understanding of lupus. This is important for a disease which remains greatly misunderstood by many, including those suffering from it. The book meets its objectives, describing the disease in easily understood language.
Audience:It is written for patients and their families by one of the foremost researchers in this field.
Features:The book describes the history of the disease, its manifestations in various organs, related diseases, diagnostic tests, and therapeutic modalities. I think it does a good job translating complex medical terms into easily understood descriptions. The book flows well, and the key points box at the beginning of each chapter effectively highlights the salient points. Some of the therapeutic information is already slightly out of date, which may be one shortcoming. Rituximab, for example, is praised as highly effective, but has more recently been the subject of large negative studies. Additionally, abatacept is described as an IL6 antagonist, which is incorrect.
Assessment:This book presents a unique viewpoint on lupus, because few books for patients are written by medical professionals. It is a useful reference that I can recommend to my patients. I do wonder, though, about its niche in light of patients' reliance on the Internet as a common source of information.

Front Matter....Pages I-VI Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Lupus in a nutshell....Pages 1-2 What to look for?....Pages 3-5 The rise and rise of lupus....Pages 7-10 What causes lupus?....Pages 11-14 Lupus and the world around us....Pages 15-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 The clinical picture....Pages 19-22 The skin....Pages 23-26 The kidney....Pages 27-30 Heart and lungs....Pages 31-36 The brain....Pages 37-42 The blood....Pages 43-45 Pregnancy and lupus....Pages 47-50 Front Matter....Pages 51-51 Sjögren’s syndrome....Pages 51-54 Hughes syndrome (antiphospholipid syndrome)....Pages 55-59 Mixed connective tissue disease (Sharpe’s syndrome)....Pages 61-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 Antibody tests....Pages 65-68 Other tests....Pages 69-72 Front Matter....Pages 73-73 General treatment of lupus....Pages 73-77 Plaquenil® and antimalarials....Pages 79-82 Steroids....Pages 83-85 Front Matter....Pages 73-73 Immunosuppresives....Pages 87-90 Other drugs and treatments in lupus....Pages 91-94 Treatment of Hughes syndrome....Pages 95-101 Osteoporosis and lupus....Pages 103-105 The future....Pages 107-110 Where can I find out more?....Pages 111-112 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.