The Lupus Book: A Guide for Patients and Their Families [Hardcover]

Daniel J. Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2000

Dr. Daniel J. Wallace is one of the world's leading authorities on lupus, the co-author of the leading textbook, and an eminent clinician who has treated over 2000 lupus patients, the largest such practice in America. His The Lupus Book, published in 1995, was the first book written by a leading authority specifically for patients. It immediately established itself as the most readable and helpful book on the disease.
Now Dr. Wallace has completely revised The Lupus Book, incorporating a wealth of new information. This revised and expanded edition discusses the newest breakthroughs in drug treatments as well as the most recent discoveries in cellular, genetic, and immunological research--all laid out in user-friendly language that any patient could understand. Readers will discover 10 new blood tests your doctor can do, over 30 new drugs introduced since 1995, an extensive table of herbs that can be used for the disorder, and a large section on cognitive therapy and biofeedback. There are new sections on topics such as cell signaling, lupus susceptibility genes, selective cox-2 inhibitors, newer immunosuppressive therapies, and osteoporosis. And as in the first edition, 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? There is also a glossary of terms and an appendix listing lupus resource materials.
Over a million Americans have lupus and some tens of thousands of patients die every year from the disease. The new edition of The Lupus Book offers these patients and their families a wealth of reliable, up-to-date information that will help them manage the disease and live a happier life.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nearly one million people in the United States suffer from lupus erythematosus, which develops when the body becomes allergic to itself. Because of the difficulty of diagnosing lupus, several years may elapse before an accurate diagnosis is made, resulting in mental anguish and damage to vital organs. By increasing public awareness of this disease, Wallace, a world authority on lupus, hopes to effect earlier diagnosis. In a lay companion to the renowned Dubois' Lupus Erythematosus (Williams & Wilkins, 1992. 4th ed.), which he coauthored, Wallace thoroughly explains the body's immunological processes and the causes, diagnosis, management, manifestations, prognosis, and genetic risks of lupus. Containing detailed illustrations and charts similar to those found in medical texts, The Lupus Book is written for allied health professionals as well as patients at the college reading level. Several other current books offer simpler explanations and more easily understood charts while placing a greater emphasis on coping skills; Mark Horowitz's Coping with Lupus (Penguin, 1994) and Sheldon Blau's Living with Lupus (LJ 11/1/93) are among the best. Wallace's book is recommended for those who require a detailed explanation of the disease.?Mary Prottsman, Medical Lib., Enterprise, Ala.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"This excellent work takes the most complicated of facts and readily explains them for the layperson. Lupus is not an easy disease for physician or layperson to fathom. Dr. Wallace's book will finally preclude the lists of questions patients ask."--Robert G. Lahita, M.D., Ph.D., College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University

"Wallace, who has the largest lupus clinical practice in the U.S., writes for the many lupus patients who do not understand their disease and are fearful of its debilitating symptoms. This book is highly relevant, since nearly one million people suffer from lupus in the U.S., more than from leukemia, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy combined."--Choice

"Wallace thoroughly explains the body's immunological processes and the causes, diagnosis, management, manifestations, prognosis, and genetic risks of lupus."--Library Journal

"The Lupus Book is absolutely fabulous!"--John H. Klippel, M.D., Clinical Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

"Although designed as a guide for lupus patients and their families, this book is of benefit to health professionals as well...Readers gain valuable insight into what causes lupus, who gets the disease, how the body is affected and why, and how various agents such as anti-inflammatory agents and disease-modifying drugs are used in treatment.--Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine

"The book explains a complicated disease in easy-to-understand terms and is suited for the motivated patient wanting a concise, practical overview of their disease....Simplifies a complex and confusing disease for the general reader....It is a reliable and practical guide for the patient who has accepted his/her diagnosis and is ready to fight the disease.--The Journal of Rheumatology

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; Revised & Expanded edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195132815
• ISBN-13: 978-0195132816
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Lupus
  • #53 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Rheumatic Diseases

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most comprehensive lupus book available, May 2, 2000

By 

Jennifer A McGovern - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lupus Book: A Guide for Patients and Their Families (Hardcover)

The Lupus Book offers detailed information about lupus that is helpful for the newly diagnosed patient or, like my mother, for a lupus survivor of more than 20 years. It has become a "lupus Bible" for my mother and me, even after all the books we've read about lupus over the last 25 years. The book includes example anecdotes, useful information on treatments, and VITAL clinical information for each body system involved. Another Amazon.com customer recommended this book, and I am so grateful--we discovered a life-saving diagnostic procedure through this book that my mother's doctors had not intended to run. If you think you're getting the best care possible for your lupus, read this book and be certain of it. I can't recommend this book highly enough--it is quite literally life-preserving information for the chronically ill lupus patient.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (Drum Roll Please) This Book Saved My Life!, January 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lupus Book (Hardcover)

I have had lupus for at least 20 years and have been diagnosed for 12 of those years. I have a good amount of knowledge of the disease and have been professionally employed as a health educator for rheumatic diseases in the past. I have also been a rheumatic diseases support group leader since 1986.

But what good is knowledge when you are too ill to use it? People who have the symptom of severe fatigue, as well as those who share my experience with lupus cognitive impairment problems, will understand what I mean.

I was having shortness of breath and knew that trouble breathing is big trouble. I was being treated in a managed care setting with antibiotics. I had also been taken off my medications to see if drug allergies were causing breathing problems, and it was proposed that this be tried again even though I only got sicker the first time. I was told I might have acute lupus pneumonitis and when I saw some of my own test results I knew this is what I had. But I wasn't sure what to do about it! My steroids were being decreased and I was getting worse.

A paragraph in Dr. Wallace's book leapt out at me, telling me that (page 85) "If it is properly managed with high doses of steroids, [acute lupus pneumonitis] can be completely reversible...Despite this, it is unfortunate that up to 50 percent of patients with ALP die within months, often due to a delay in diagnosis". Well, folks, I happen to know Dr. Wallace and hightailed to Beverly Hills to see him ASAP. I did have ALP and I would have been in a box underground soon enough if I didn't get treatment, which obviously I did or I wouldn't be here writing this review.

Enough said! Get the book.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most comprehensive book about lupus available., December 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lupus Book (Hardcover)

I have recommended this book to numerous people to help them understand their illness better. Dr. Wallace has written this book in terms that a lay person can understand, but never 'talks down' to the reader. This book is an excellent tool for arming oneself in being their own patient advocate. The information can allow you to converse with your heath care provider, working with them to achieve the best care for you. Having read many books about this disease which I have had for the last 10 years, I am pleased with the extensive coverage of the many symptoms and ways that lupus can manifest itself. A very helpful and useful book.