General Practitioners are often those who first see autoimmune sufferers in a clinical setting and this book discusses current understanding of the autoimmune diseases in the context of family practice. It has been designed to set out clearly the key symptoms, interpretation of appropriate diagnostic tests and likely therapy options as well as giving an overview of long-term management. In the last few decades, great progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune disorders. New knowledge about the interactions of genes, hormones and the environment that may contribute to pathological autoimmunity have lead to better methods of testing and assessing these diseases, while also helping the development of targeted therapies and improved prospects for prediction and prevention.