The Autoimmune Connection

by Rita Baron-Faust, Jill P. Buyon

Overview

Empowers women to make informed decisions about autoimmune disorders

More than 50 million Americans, most of them women, suffer from a constellation of mysterious, often misdiagnosed diseases that can result in disability, disfigurement, and death. Called "autoimmune diseases," they arise when the immune system attacks healthy tissues in almost any area of the body, and include lupus rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, scleroderma, and Graves' disease.

Now Jill Buyon, a doctor working on the cutting edge of research into these diseases, and Rita Baron-Faust, an award-winning medical journalist, arm women with the knowledge they need to obtain accurate diagnoses and the best possible treatments.

In The Autoimmune Connection readers learn about the recent groundbreaking discovery of the links between the different autoimmune diseases and why women are more likely to develop them. The authors offer the most up-to-date information on diagnosis, treatments, and risks for women with one or more autoimmune disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071425513
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	04/22/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	835 KB

About the Author

Jill M. Buyon, M.D., is founder and director of the Lupus Clinic at the prestigious Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City and a professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. She lives in New York City.

Rita Baron-Faust is the author of five books on women's health. She serves on the board of the American Autoimmune and Related Diseases Association. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Table of Contents

The Autoimmune Connection Foreword by Viginia T. Ladd, President, American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association Acknowledgements Introduction: A New View of Autoimmunity by Noel R. Rose, MD, Ph.D. 1. Autoimmune Disease--Facing Our Intimate Enemy 2. Those Aching Joints--Rheumatoid Arthritis 3. The Shadow of the Wof--Systemic Lupus Erythematosus 4. The Elusive Butterfly Gland--Thyroid Disease 5. The Body Snatchers--Scleroderma and Autoimmune Skin Disorders 6. More Than a Dry Spell--Schleroderma and Autoimmune Kins Disorders 7. Vanishing Hormones --Type 1 Diabetes, Premature Ovarian Failure, and Other Endocrine Problems 8. Tough to Digest--Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), Celiac Disease, and Pernicious Anemia 9. An Attack of Nerves--Multiple Sclerosis 10. Weak in the Knees--Myasthenia Gravis 11. A Fury in the Blood--Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, and Vasculitis 12. Assault on the Liver--Autoimmune Hepatitis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis 13. Mysterious Fellow Travelers--Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Endometriosis, and Interstitial Cystitis 14. Navigating the Medical Maze Afterword: Where the Future May Take Us by Denise L. Faustman, MD, Ph.D. Appendix A: Where to Go for Help--Information and Support Groups Appendix B: Recommended Reading

Editorial Reviews

...provides valuable information on managing one's own disorder, lists treatments and possible new ways to alter immune responses, and cites ways that autoimmune diseases can vary at different ages... The authors also sound some hopeful notes.

These disorders can pose unique treatment challenges for women, and the up-to-date information provided here will be welcome in most women's health collections.
— (Library Journal, February 2003)

Christian Library Journal

Diagnosed with hypothyroidism over 20 years ago, veteran medical writer Baron-Faust (Being Female) vowed to write a book on the broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases that uniquely affect women, owing to the interplay of the immune system and hormones. Coauthored with distinguished New York rheumatologist Buyon, her comprehensive guide covers some 20 diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis, myasthenia gravis, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, vasculitis, and premature ovarian failure. It also addresses in a single chapter some disorders that often "travel" with autoimmune diseases (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and endometriosis), which can further downgrade a patient's quality of life. Each chapter includes signs, diagnosis/tests, current and future treatments, and the female factor, e.g., how female hormones, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause affect the course of the disease. Included are patient stories to illustrate how perplexing these diseases can be to diagnose and treat. The final chapter offers suggestions on the specialists who typically treat each disorder and ways to become an empowered patient. Pointedly, the authors have chosen not to discuss complementary or alternative medicine approaches but do caution those considering such therapies to proceed with care. Although the authors include a five-page list of contributors who "provided peer review on the rapidly evolving subject of women and autoimmunity" and frequently discuss studies from medical journals, they offer no exact citations either as footnotes or as a reference list for further consultation. Still, these disorders can pose unique treatment challenges for women, and the up-to-date information provided here will be welcome in most women's health collections.-Lisa McCormick, Jewish Hosp., Cincinnati Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal