A Clinician's Guide to Rheumatic Diseases in Children

Description

• Author has over twenty-five years of experience helping children with bone, muscle, and joint problems get the proper answers-and lead normal lives
• Instructs pediatricians and nurses in how to interpret a child's complaints, make accurate diagnoses and referrals, and prescribe the proper treatment
• Surveys the newest available treatment options
• Provides guidance in how to explain complicated medical information to parents and patients
• Addresses "need to know" topics such as drug safety and risks of medication use in childhood

In the United States alone, roughly 300,000 children suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, and millions more are at risk of developing one of these diseases. In this marvelously down-to-earth guide, Thomas Lehman--the head of one of the leading pediatric rheumatology programs in the world--offers a gold mine of expert advice invaluable for pediatricians who want to become more proficient in understanding, diagnosing, and treating rheumatic disease in children. Dr. Lehman helps pediatricians interpret their patients' complaints and determine whether and what type of medical attention is needed, explaining what symptoms to look for, what questions to ask, what tests to run, and what to expect when treatment begins. Using illustrative anecdotes, this book 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, genetic considerations, the potential risks to children posed by medications, the difficulty of family life when a child has a chronic disease, and much more.
A Clinician'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 pediatricians make sure that patients achieve the best possible outcome.

Readership: Pediatricians and pediatric nurses

Table of contents

Introduction
How to Use This Book

PART I: A CHILD COMPLAINS OF PAIN
1. Growing Pains?
2. Figuring Out What's Wrong
3. Common Causes of Pain
4. The Child Who Hurts All Over
5. Sports Injuries

PART II: THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES AND RELATED CONDITIONS
6.Why Do Children Get Rheumatic Disease?
7,Juvenile Arthritis
8.Uveitis:Eye Complications of Juvenile Arthritis and Related Conditions
9.Spondyloarthropathies: Enthesitis-associated Arthritis
10. Lyme Disease
11. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
12. Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD)
13. Sjogren's Syndrome
14. Raynaud's Phenomenon
15. Scleroderma
16. Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis
17. Kawasaki Disease
18. Benign Hypermobile Joint Syndrome and Ehlers Dahnlos Syndrome
19. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
20. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy, and Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
21. Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
22. Genetic Conditions

PART III: LIVING WITH A CHILD WHO HAS A CHRONIC CONDITION
23. Medications and Immunizations
24. Alternative Medicine: Vitamins and Supplements
25. Understanding Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests
26. Reconstructive Surgery
27. Family Issues
28. Getting the Best Results
Appendix: Resources
Index