Introduction

This Guide has been prepared to help introduce nurses to lupus (SLE - systemic lupus erythematosus). The different forms of lupus are discussed, also the treatment and the nursing care of patients with this condition. A number of doctors have been invited to contribute on specific topics, and comments on their own experiences by patients have also been incorporated.

Although there is no cure at present for lupus, over the last twenty years great strides have been made in medical research and disease management. It is very much hoped that this Guide will go some way to enlighten nurses and carers further in understanding lupus, and I offer my grateful acknowledgement and thanks to the following who have given freely of their time and expertise.

Angie Barwick
Lupus Unit
Sister/Lupus Specialist Nurse
St Thomas' Hospital, London

Section Contents

• Foreword
• What is Lupus?
• Treatment
• The Lupus Clinic
• Renal Disease in Lupus
• Skin Problems in Lupus
• Lupus and the Brain
• Lupus and Pregnancy
• Psychiatric Problems in Lupus
• Antiphospholipid (Hughes) Syndrome
• Sjögren's Syndrome
• Raynauds and Scleroderma
• The Patient Experience

Contributors

Dr Graham Hughes	Consultant Rheumatologist
Dr Munther Khamashta	Consultant Rheumatologist
Dr Tim Godfrey	Consultant Rheumatologist
Dr Mark Lloyd	Consultant Rheumatologist
Dr Owen Box	Psychiatry Registrar
Dr Tom Millard	Research Registrar
Miss Dawn Reader	Lupus Services Manager
Patients	Christine Taylor, Rosanne Barwick, Rebecca Hollants Van Loocke, John Leonard, Shane Norman