The Lupus Book: A Guide for Patients and Their Families

daniel j. wallace

The symptoms are puzzling, intermittent, and frequently seem mysterious rashes, sore joints, fatigue, headaches. It can take years to properly diagnose, often leaving its victims suffering not only from the disease, but from the uncertainty about whether they have the disease and
from the not-insignificant problem of finding a physician to treat them. The disease is lupus, which, simply put, is what happens to the body when it becomes allergic to itself. It is quite widespread and it is highly deadly, claiming the lives of thousands of patients yearly.
Now patients and their families can turn to The Lupus Book , a clear, reassuring guide that explains virtually every aspect of the disease. Written by Daniel J. Wallace, M.D., one of the world's leading experts on the subject, The Lupus Book is packed with useful, easy-to-understand information and
practical guidance for the sufferer. Here the reader will discover clear descriptions of the symptoms that most commonly afflict victims of lupus, a helpful survey of all aspects of diagnosis--from why the disease is so difficult to recognize to the latest, most innovative tests--and background
information on the cause of the disease, which researchers now believe is genetic in origin. Wallace shows how lupus may affect different organ systems in the body, including the brain, heart, and lungs; he offers well-informed advice on how patients can work with their doctors to take an active
role in fighting the disease through exercise, diet, and medication; and perhaps most important, he answers the questions he is most often asked by his patients, including queries on prevention, cure, sun exposure, pregnancy, and many other concerns. Throughout the book, Wallace reveals a talent for
communicating difficult concepts to the general reader as he illustrates his discussion with numerous anecdotes culled from his years of clinical experience (he has treated over one thousand lupus patients).
Nearly one million people suffer from lupus in the United States alone. More common than leukemia, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy combined, lupus is a pervasive and little- understood condition. With The Lupus Book in hand, lupus sufferers as well as their families,
friends, and physicians have a reliable guide that will answer their questions and help them to better manage their day-to-day fight against this debilitating disease.

Genres medicalhealthnonfictionmedicineself help

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1995

This edition

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover
Published: December 21, 1995 by Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195084436
ASIN: 0195084438
Language: English

About the author

daniel j. wallace

Daniel Jeffrey Wallace is an American rheumatologist, clinical professor, author, and fellow. Wallace has published 400 peer reviewed publications, 8 textbooks, and 25 book chapters on topics such as lupus, Sjögren syndrome, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. He has the largest cohort of lupus patients in the United States (2000).

A full professor of medicine (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA), he is associate director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Cedars-Sinai. His seminal contributions to research include being an author of the first paper to demonstrate vitamin D dysfunction and the importance of interleukin 6 in lupus, conducting the first large studies of apheresis in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and insights into the mechanisms of action of antimalarials.

Wallace's research accomplishments also include conducting many clinical rheumatic disease trials, examining the role of microvascular angina and accelerated atherogenesis in lupus, and work on anti-telomere antibodies which have garnered him 5 papers in The New England Journal of Medicine. Wallace's monograph, The Lupus Book, has sold over 100,000 copies since 1995.