A Parent's Guide to Rheumatic Disease in Children

by Thomas J.A. Lehman M.D.

Overview

For a child with arthritis or a related condition, lack of knowledge on the part of the parents is one of the biggest obstacles to recovery. Parents do not always know how to interpret the complaints voiced by their children and this is compounded by the inexperience of physicians, who rarely treat children with these ailments.
In this marvelously down-to-earth guide, Dr. Thomas Lehman—the head of one of the leading pediatric rheumatology programs in the world—offers a gold mine of expert advice that is invaluable both for parents whose children have rheumatic disorders and for parents of children with complaints, discomfort, or disability who are not getting the answers they need from their physician. Using simple analogies and illustrative anecdotes to illuminate hard-to-grasp concepts, Dr. Lehman helps parents interpret their child's complaints and to determine whether medical attention is needed. Even more important, the book explains to parents how to follow through with a physician and make sure their child receives the appropriate tests, the proper diagnosis, and ultimately, the best care possible. The book explains to parents what symptoms to look for, what questions to ask, and what to expect when treatment begins. It sheds light on a wide range of rheumatic disorders—including Juvenile Arthritis, Lyme Disease, Lupus, Kawasaki Disease, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome—and it addresses such crucial topics as drug safety, the potential risks to children posed by medications, health insurance problems, the difficulty of family life when a child has a chronic disease, and much more.
The only book on this subject currently available, A Parent's Guide to Rheumatic Diseases in Children captures the expertise of a dedicated physician with over thirty years of hands-on experience helping children lead normal happy lives. It will help you to ensure that your child achieves the best possible outcome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195341898
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/14/2008
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Thomas J. A. Lehman, M.D. is Chief of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Attending Physician and Senior Scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Lehman is an internationally recognized expert in the rheumatic diseases of childhood, a fellow of both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Rheumatology and a member of the New York Academy of Medicine. He is consistently included in New York magazine's annual "Best Doctors" issue.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: John C Madden, MD PhD(Washington University Medical Center)
Description: This book discusses many of the common orthopedic and rheumatic conditions in childhood as well as common laboratory tests and medications used for patients with rheumatic disease. Finally, it has a very interesting discussion of supplements.
Purpose: This is an attempt to arm parents with the knowledge required to navigate the medical system and obtain the best possible treatment for their children. This is critical for parents, but while the book has a great deal of information, it sometimes is too technical.
Audience: Just as when physicians are speaking to parents/patients, this book has problems delivering sufficient information without getting too technical. However, perhaps that is better than leaving out vast amounts of information.
Features: The book covers a great deal of orthopedic and rheumatic conditions. In addition to some overly technical information, there is the issue that much information can be obtained quickly and easily on many good web sites. The strength of this book lies more in a few chapters at the beginning and at the end. The early discussion of what is normal vs. abnormal pain is well done. Also good is the discussion of how physicians approach problems. Parents who understand why physicians ask the questions they do are better prepared to answer questions truthfully and thoroughly, which in turn helps physicians make correct diagnoses. The chapters toward the end of the book on family and school issues are interesting. Finally, the discussion of supplements is particularly well done. All too often patients are harmed, not necessarily medically, but certainly financially, by supplements, and the discussion points out the problems with supplements while respecting and recognizing the desperation of families who look to them.
Assessment: I have not seen any other books that have attempted to guide parents through diagnosis and treatment of their children with rheumatic diseases. In this way, this book is unique. However, it too often gets bogged down in technical points that would be difficult for parents to understand. The book really shines when it tries to explain to parents how physicians think so that they might be better prepared to help physicians help their children.

Doody's Review Service