Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Clinical Analysis

We have come to expect from James Fries computer analyses of consummate clinical value. This short book does not disappoint; it surely must be essential reading for anyone who contemplates treating even one patient who may have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A summary of the various symptoms and signs ascribed to this disorder and the frequency of their occurrence comprises the largest portion of this book. From the standpoint of epidemiology, this is important information. In a single patient, it has less importance, for it can only suggest the probability that a given symptom is part of the syndrome, and this, in a given patient, is an all-or-none proposition. But the authors do not stop there. They analyze every single symptom in terms of its prognostic importance, and here they provide information not available elsewhere or, if available, only by a diligent search of all that has been written. Chapter