Not too long ago, it was thought that inflammation of blood vessels was the sole manifestation of systemic autoimmune diseases. Today, however, we know that disorders of coagulation, injuries to both neutrophils and endothelial cells, and certain lipids and amino acids are all intricately involved in the development of vascular disease. How are all these processes linked? What strategies can we employ or develop to halt the progression of vascular damage? What are the best ways to control acute vasculitis and vasospasm therapeutically? What are the risks and benefits of various strategies for the prevention of clotting? How soon should we initiate preventive strategies that protect blood vessels from arteriosclerosis in people with acute rheumatic diseases? What should be the nature of those strategies?

Vascular Manifestations of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases provides answers to all these questions. Ronald Asherson, Richard Cervera,Steven B. Abramson, Jean-Charles Piette, and Douglas Triplett- all international experts in the field-have assembled a collection of works that provide a comprehensive analysis of vascular irregularities. Now that most individuals survive the onset of acute systemic autoimmune diseases and live for decades more, halting the long-term attack on vasculature is increasingly important.
Vascular Manifestations of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases not only describes the clinical symptoms of vascular diseases; it also covers in one volume the many mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders and addresses the newest treatments available for them.

According to the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC), between 14.7 and 23.5 million people in the USA - up to eight percent of the population are affected by autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are a family of more than 100 chronic, and often disabling, illnesses that develop when underlying defects in the immune system lead the body to attack its own organs, tissues, and cells. In Handbook of Autoimmune Disease, the editors have gathered in a comprehensive handbook a critical review, by renowned experts, of more than 100 autoimmune diseases, divided into two main groups, namely systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases. A contemporary overview of these conditions with special emphasis on diagnosis is presented. Each chapter contains the essential information required by attending physicians as well as bench scientists to understand the definition of a specific autoimmune disease, the diagnostic criteria, and the treatment.

Not too long ago, it was thought that inflammation of blood vessels was the sole manifestation of systemic autoimmune diseases. Today, however, we know that disorders of coagulation, injuries to both neutrophils and endothelial cells, and certain lipids and amino acids are all intricately involved in the development of vascular disease. How are all these processes linked? What strategies can we employ or develop to halt the progression of vascular damage? What are the best ways to control acute vasculitis and vasospasm therapeutically? What are the risks and benefits of various strategies for the prevention of clotting? How soon should we initiate preventive strategies that protect blood vessels from arteriosclerosis in people with acute rheumatic diseases? What should be the nature of those strategies? Vascular Manifestations of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases provides answers to all these questions. Ronald Asherson, Richard Cervera,Steven B. Abramson, Jean-Charles Piette, and Douglas Triplett- all international experts in the field-have assembled a collection of works that provide a comprehensive analysis of vascular irregularities. Now that most individuals survive the onset of acute systemic autoimmune diseases and live for decades more, halting the long-term attack on vasculature is increasingly important. Vascular Manifestations of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases not only describes the clinical symptoms of vascular diseases; it also covers in one volume the many mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders and addresses the newest treatments available for them.