This concise, authoritative pocketbook provides the most up-to-date information on the diagnosis, treatment and management of lupus. The volume describes the pathophysiology of the condition, diagnostic strategies and tools, and current and emerging therapeutic options, focusing on direct clinical applications for busy healthcare professionals.

One million people in the United States suffer from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), a chronic autoimmune disease that is potentially debilitating and sometimes fatal as the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often damages the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness alternating with remission. It can be treated symptomatically, mainly with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, though there is currently no cure. Several promising new treatments, however, are in late-stage clinical trials.

Lupus is one of several diseases known as the 'great imitator' because its symptoms vary so widely and it often mimics or is mistaken for other illnesses, and because the symptoms come and go unpredictably. As a result, patients present with varied symptoms to different practitioners and diagnosis can be elusive, with patients sometimes suffering unexplained symptoms and untreated lupus for years. Hence, a practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of lupus would be valuable to an array of clinicians and may help expedite earlier diagnosis and better patient care.

Readership: Rheumatologists and primary care physicians who care for lupus patients.

Daniel J. Wallace, Clinical Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

1: The history of lupus
2: Definitions and classification
3: Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus
4: Pathogenesis
5: Clinical symptoms and signs
6: Laboratory and imaging abnormalities
7: Differential diagnosis and disease associations
8: Important subsets and special considerations
9: Methods of clinical ascertainment
10: General treatment concepts
11: Medications used to manage lupus erythematosus
12: Economic impact and disability issues
13: Prognosis
14: Experimental and innovative therapies