Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ of the body. In lupus, the body's immune system, which normally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, including the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and blood. Lupus is characterized by periods of illness, called flares, and periods of wellness or remission. Because its symptoms come and go and mimic those of other diseases, lupus is difficult to diagnose. There is no single laboratory test that can definitively prove that a person has the complex illness. To date, lupus has no known cause or cure. Early detection and treatment are the key to a better health outcome and can usually lessen the progression and severity of the disease. Anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, and steroids (such as cortisone and others) are often used to treat lupus. Cytotoxic chemotherapies, like those used in the treatment of cancer, are also used to suppress the immune system in lupus patients. A new edition of this established and well-regarded reference combines basic science with clinical science to provide a translational medicine model. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sixth Edition, is a useful reference for specialists in the diagnosis and management of patients with SLE, a tool for measurement of clinical activity for pharmaceutical development and basic research of the disease, and a reference work for hospital libraries. Completely updated, revised, and expanded with the most comprehensive and accessible reference on SLE for clinicians and scientists Full-color presentation throughout the book Provides the latest information available on diagnosis and treatment Incorporates an international panel of authors who are experts in their fields, with an emphasis on young, cutting-edge scientists and physicians

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.

Lupus, a disease of the immune system, can be quite deadly, claiming the lives of thousands of patients yearly. Dr. Daniel J. Wallace is one of the world's leading authorities on this disorder, an eminent clinician who has treated over 3000 lupus patients, the largest such practice in America. His The Lupus Book, originally published in 1995, immediately established itself as the most readable and helpful book on the disease. Now Dr. Wallace has once again completely revised The Lupus Book, incorporating a wealth of new information. This Fifth Edition discusses new drug information and newly discovered information about the pathology of the disease--all laid out in user-friendly language that any patient could understand. In particular, Wallace discusses the first drug for Lupus to be approved by the FDA--belimumab (Benlysta)--as well as other drugs in clinical trials. Readers will also discover fully updated sections on the science of lupus and breakthroughs in research. And as in past editions, the book provides absolutely lucid answers to such questions as: What causes lupus? How and where is the body affected? Can a woman with lupus have a baby? And how can one manage this disease? Indeed, Dr. Wallace has distilled his extensive experience, providing the most up-to-date information on causes, prevention, cure, exercise, diet, and many other important topics. There is also a glossary of terms and an appendix of lupus resource materials compiled by the Lupus Foundation of America. Over a million Americans have lupus. The new Fifth Edition offers these patients and their families an abundance of reliable, up-to-date information that will help them manage the disease and live a happier life.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ of the body. In lupus, the body's immune system, which normally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, including the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and blood. Lupus is characterized by periods of illness, called flares, and periods of wellness or remission. Because its symptoms come and go and mimic those of other diseases, lupus is difficult to diagnose. There is no single laboratory test that can definitively prove that a person has the complex illness.To date, lupus has no known cause or cure. Early detection and treatment are the key to a better health outcome and can usually lessen the progression and severity of the disease. Anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, and steroids (such as cortisone and others) are often used to treat lupus. Cytotoxic chemotherapies, like those used in the treatment of cancer, are also used to suppress the immune system in lupus patients. A new edition of this established and well-regarded reference combines basic science with clinical science to provide a translational medicine model. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sixth Edition, is a useful reference for specialists in the diagnosis and management of patients with SLE, a tool for measurement of clinical activity for pharmaceutical development and basic research of the disease, and a reference work for hospital libraries. - Completely updated, revised, and expanded with the most comprehensive and accessible reference on SLE for clinicians and scientists - Full-color presentation throughout the book - Provides the latest information available on diagnosis and treatment - Incorporates an international panel of authors who are experts in their fields, with an emphasis on young, cutting-edge scientists and physicians

Established for forty years as the definitive reference on lupus, Dubois' Lupus Erythematosus is now in its thoroughly revised, updated Seventh Edition. More than ninety distinguished contributing authors—twenty of them new to this edition—provide comprehensive coverage of every aspect of cutaneous and systemic lupus erythematosus, including definitions, pathogenesis, autoantibodies, clinical and laboratory features, management, prognosis, and patient education. This edition focuses on evidence-based findings, treatment consensuses, and practical clinical information. New chapters cover cytokines and interferons, pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, immune tolerance, clinical indices in assessment of lupus, mixed connective tissue disease, reproductive issues, fibromyalgia, gender-related issues, and biomarkers.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (S.L.E.), commonly called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ of the body. In lupus, the body's immune system, which normally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive, forming antibodies that attack normal tissues and organs, including the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and blood. Lupus is characterized by periods of illness, called flares, and periods of wellness, or remission. Because its symptoms come and go and mimic those of other diseases, lupus is difficult to diagnose. There is no single laboratory test that can definitively prove that a person has the complex illness. To date, lupus has no known cause or cure. Early detection and treatment is the key to a better health outcome and can usually lessen the progression and severity of the disease. Anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-malarials, and steroids (such as cortisone and others) are often used to treat lupus. Cytotoxic chemotherapies, similar to those used in the treatment of cancer, are also used to suppress the immune system in lupus patients. A new edition of this established and well regarded reference which combines basic science with clinical science to provide a translational medicine model. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a useful reference for specialists in the diagnosis and management of patients with SLE, a tool for measurement of clinical activity for pharmaceutical development and basic research of the disease and a reference work for hospital libraries. - Highly illustrated and in full color throughout - Basic science section expanded to allow the reader to focus on the newest techniques in molecular medicine and its effects on disease expression and treatment - Clinical aspects and new drugs will be covered in great detail providing a useful reference to both experienced clinicians and physicians with an interest in lupus in their clinical practice

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.

The scope of this contributed volume is to provide an overview of the latest translational research in the field of lupus pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on how these discoveries progress in parallel with therapeutic drug development. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifaceted disease with a number of well-defined immune pathways that are dysregulated, resulting in an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory injury at target organs. As knowledge of these pathways evolves to provide opportunities for targeted drug therapy and lays the foundation for personalized medicine, clinicians and researchers need to keep up with the ever-expanding medical literature. This book will critically appraise the current understanding of important immunological pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of lupus. We will review the role of interferons as part of the innate immune defects that perpetuate the loss of self-tolerance in SLE. B cell hyperactivity, as a defining hallmark of SLE, and different strategies of B cell targeted therapy will be discussed. The role of co-stimulation or immune checkpoint molecules in activating B and T cells will be reviewed, as well as other cytokines that serve in the amplification loop promoting a more proinflammatory Th1 or Th17 responses. Intracellular targets, such as signaling molecules in the JAK/STAT pathway, or a variety of kinases and proteasomes, can cause a cascading downstream effect of transcriptional responses that are important in SLE. Immune homeostasis can also be restored by bolstering the naturally occurring anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Glucocorticoid, as a potent natural anti-inflammatory hormone, can mediate its effects by recruiting histone deacetylase that serve to repress gene transcription. Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper is a gene upregulated by glucocorticoid that can be a potential target for development of anti-inflammatory strategy. Finally, T regulatory cells can be utilized to help restore to immune tolerance and are amongst the latest focus of therapeutic development in SLE.

A diagnosis of lupus is understandably disquieting and can cause emotional turmoil. After all, there is no cure for the disease, and managing its debilitating symptoms can be challenging. This completely revised and updated edition of Coping with Lupusanswers all the important questions you may have about this disease of the autoimmune system. Writing in a warm, engaging style, Dr. Robert Phillips offers useful information and practical coping strategies to help you through a stressful time. He lends his expertise in dealing with the psychological aspects of chronic health problems, and provides the most recent medical information about lupus.