Women's Symptoms: A Comprehensive Guide to Common Symptoms and Diseases: Their Causes and Treatments

Strausz, a New York City gynecologist and author of You Don't Need a Hysterectomy, offers a comprehensive guide to common symptoms and diseases suffered by women. While the alphabetical, encyclopedia-like arrangement of the 60 major symptoms (Abdominal Pain to Vulval Pain) is intended to facilitate a reader's search for information, the format is awkward, requiring the reader to flip through entries in search of a complete symptom/disease configuration. Each entry begins with a general discussion, treats possible Causes and Treatments, and offers a bibiliography and a list of Danger Signs to help readers determine immediate need. Linking symptoms to potential causes and treatments may help some readers shape their discussions with their doctors. But others may be confused to learn that a headache could be related to eye strain or emphysema, or that the cause of a fever can run the gamut from toxic shock to systemic lupus erythematosus. A smaller second section gives an overview of 12 diseases, e.g., AIDS and endometriosis. Despite the difficulties of tracking down symptoms and combinations, Strausz, who has an even, reassuring prose style, delivers a fine starting point for determining the source of that irritating cough or unusual discharge. (July)