Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents: The social and economic consequences of rheumatic disease -- The musculoskeletal system -- Structure -- Mediators of inflammation, tissue destruction and repair -- Immunity -- Genetics -- Evaluation of the patient -- Musculoskeletal signs and symptoms -- Rheumatoid arthritis -- Psoriatic arthritis -- Seronegative spondyloarthropathies -- Infectious diseases -- Osteoarthritis -- Arthritis associated with calcium-containing crystals -- Gout -- Connective-tissue diseases -- Systemic lupus erythematosus -- Systemic sclerosis and related syndromes -- Inflammatory and metabolic diseases of muscle -- Sjogren's syndrome -- Vasculitides -- Bechet's disease -- Relapsing polychondritis -- Antiphospholipid syndrome -- Adult still's disease -- Less common arthropathies -- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy and transient regional osteoporosis -- Sarcoidosis -- Storage and deposition diseases -- Amyloidoses -- Neoplasms of the joint -- Musculoskeletal problems in dialysis patients -- Heritable disorders of connective tissue -- Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy -- Bone and joint dysplasias -- Osteoporosis -- Pediatric rheumatic diseases -- Rehabilitation -- Psychosocial factors -- Patient education and self management -- Pain management -- Therapeutic injection of joints and soft tissues -- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- Corticosteroids -- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs -- Biologic agents -- Operative treatment of arthritis -- Complementary and alternative therapies --