Foreword to the First Edition   Henrietta Aladjem

vii

Preface to the Fourth Edition

ix

PART I

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONS

1

Why Write a Book on Lupus?

3

2

What is Lupus?

5

3

The History of Lupus

9

4

Who Gets Lupus?

11

PART II

INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNITY

5

The Body’s Protection Plan

17

6

The Enemy is Our Cells

27

PART III

WHAT CAUSES LUPUS?

7

The Genetic Connection

39

8

Environmental Villains

43

9

Drugs that may Cause Lupus or Produce Flare-Ups

49

PART IV

WHERE AND HOW CAN THE BODY BE AFFECTED BY LUPUS?

10

History, Symptoms, and Signs

59

11

Must We Draw Blood?

65

12

Reactions of the Skin: Rashes and Discoid Lupus

69

13

Why the Aches? Arthritis, Muscles, and Bone

79

14

Pants and Pulses: The Lungs and Heart

85

15

Heady Connections: The Nervous System and Behavioral Changes

103

16

The Head, Neck, and Sjögren’s Syndrome

120

17

What About Hormones?

126

18

The Impact of Lupus on the GI Tract and Liver

132

19

Lupus in the Kidney and Urinary Tract

143

20

The Blood and Lymphatic Systems

151

21

Why do Blood Clots Develop?

158

22

Lupus through the Ages: Lupus in Children and the Elderly

165

23

Is it Really Lupus?

170

PART V

THE MANAGEMENT OF LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

24

How to Treat Lupus with Physical Measures

183

25

You can Help Conquer Lupus

194

26

Taming Inflammation: Anti-Inflammatory Therapies

206

27

Big Guns and Magic Bullets: Disease-Modifying Drugs

212

28

Other Options: Treatments Occasionally Used to Manage Lupus

227

29

Fighting Infections, Allergies, and Osteoporosis

233

30

Can a Woman with Lupus have a Baby?

240

31

Economic Impact of Lupus in the United States and Disability Issues

249

32

What’s the Prognosis?

252

33

New Therapies for Lupus and Future Directions

258

Glossary

265

Appendix

Lupus Resource Materials

273

Index

277