The Immune Mystery: A Young Doctor's Quest to Solve the Puzzle of Autoimmune Disease

by Anita Kåss

A page-turning and powerful medical mystery for readers of Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders and The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper More than 20 million Americans have autoimmune diseases, which occur when the immune system attacks the body. Autoimmune diseases are often misdiagnosed by doctors and overlooked by medical researchers. Almost all affect women more often than men. The Immune Mystery follows doctor and researcher Anita Kåss’s quest to solve the autoimmune puzzle, beginning with the premature death of her mother, who developed rheumatoid arthritis shortly after giving birth to Anita. As a child, Anita vowed to study the illness and one day find a cure. Becoming a respected doctor and researcher, Anita devoted herself to studying auto-immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Why do so many autoimmune diseases start to show symptoms during and after childbirth, perimenopause, and menopause? Could autoimmune diseases be linked to our changing hormones? Despite the groundbreaking nature of her research, Anita had to fight for her ideas against the conventional wisdom and casual sexism of the medical industry––even as she made a discovery that earned her a record-breaking US$95 million pharmaceutical deal. A compelling blend of incredible determination and cutting-edge science, The Immune Mystery changes the way we think about autoimmune diseases. Anita offers solace to patients struggling with questions about their health, and introduces a powerful new voice in medical storytelling.

Genres: Science, Health, Nonfiction, Medical, Biography, Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2018

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks)]

Veldig fascinerende forskning og eg likte fortellerstemmen.

[Fiona]

Mostly an autobiography. The writer has a new theoretical treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and details her quest to come up with it. The book will be of interest to RA patients but, as somebody with a so-called autoimmune disease, I find little of interest here. The REAL puzzle of autoimmunity is why doctors accept the premise so willingly, instead of admitting they don't understand what is happening, and in the process, demonize the patient's immune response.

[Peg]

Thanks to Greystone Books, via LibraryThing, for an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for my honest opinion.

The author was 13 years old when her mother died prematurely from severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). All of her life she had seen how much suffering her mother went through and vowed she would someday find a cure. So she became a doctor and researcher and has spent decades trying to find out how the immune system works. In easy-to-understand language, she leads us through her years of research and how to treat many autoimmune disorders like lupus, multiple sclerosis, and of course, RA.

Through her determination and many years of hard work despite the accepted wisdom of the medical industry, she discovered a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. At the end of the book, there is an overview of these diseases describing each with an interesting "Did You Know" for each of them, and for RA it says "About 70% of patients have the auto-antibody rheumatoid factor (RF) in their blood. Norwegian Erik Waaler discovered RF by chance in 1937 when he ran a syphilis test on a patient who was also suffering from rheumatoid arthritis."

Dr. Kaas made a discovery and it eventually led to a record-breaking deal with a pharmaceutical company which resulted in the largest licensing agreement in Norwegian medical history (90 million dollars USD). I was very disappointed to discover at the end of the Epilogue that a postscript or addition would come with the latest update on her discovered medication when the book is ready for publication this month, May 2021. While I understand why this is necessary, I felt let down. Also at the end of the book is a list of immune-suppressing medications.

This is an excellent reference book for anyone with an interest in autoimmune diseases. I had a special interest in this book because my brother suffered from RA for over 20 years. My older daughter also suffers from an autoimmune condition which has yet to be correctly diagnosed. I sometimes suffer from extremely painful Episcleritis, or inflammation of the episclera, which is the clear layer on top of the white part of the eye. The cause is unknown, but an autoimmune reaction is also suspected here.

[marysia :D]

4,5 Zostal mi juz tylko spis chorob na samym koncu, mysle ze super pozycja dla osob ktore interesuja sie biologia, na poczatku ksiazki jezyk i metafory uzywane do opisywania trudnych biologicznych terminow sa troche „bajkowe”, wydaje sie nawet ze jak dla dzieci. Jest to plus i minus, bo osobom, ktore nie siedza w temacie pomoze to zwizualizowac sobie duzo rzeczy, ale dla osob chcacych nauczyc sie „suchych faktow” troche spłyca temat. W drugiej polowie to troche zanika tho. Chetnie przeczytam wiecej tego typu ksiazek🥳

[Colleen]

After being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and suffering through chronic pain daily, reading The Immune Mystery was a breath of fresh air as it gave me hope to think that there may be more options for me someday, that I won't have to continuously take medications that suppress my immune system in order to get any relief.

Anita Kåss tells the story of her multi-year fight to find a more effective treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. For a story about medicine, it was well written and allowed those of us without medical backgrounds to follow along. I appreciated that it was written as a story as opposed to textbook format and that concepts were explained in a way we could understand.

I'm giving it 3 stars (I'd give it 3.5 if I could) only because it wasn't a riveting tale that I couldn't put down, nor was it a book that drew you into its depths, but it is definitely an interesting and enjoyable book that helped me better understand autoimmune diseases and the fight behind the scenes to get studies done to help patients.

Thank you Anita for your passion toward finding answers!

[Eadie Burke]

Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system attacks the body. I have rheumatoid arthritis so I was interested in reading Dr. Anita Kass' book. Her mother was a victim of rheumatoid arthritis and died when Anita was 13 years old. At that time, Anita vowed to study the illness and one day find a cure. She became a doctor and dedicated herself to decades long research into the causes of autoimmune disorders. I found this book to be very interesting and gave me a real understanding of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. In 2017, she was named Doctor of the Year for her research of hormone treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This book shows her incredible determination and is a story I believe you will enjoy. I would like to thank Greystone Books for a copy which I received through LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review.

[Saul]

I don’t like this book. It’s not about immunology, as title and heading suggest. It’s more about frustration of the young physician and scientist, who suffers first the illness of her mother, then setbacks and glitches of the scientific research on RA (Rheumatoid arthritis).

You can find here a lot of feminist suggestion of author’s misfortune and a lot of tall talk, but few real facts and explanations “how immune system works”.

[Marie the Librarian]

En utrolig fin og lærerik bok. Anita skriver godt om vanskelig tema og den balanserer personlig historie og forskning veldig godt.

[Russell]

I'll admit this was not quite what I was expecting when I checked it out from our local library. It's one half biography, and one half story of her quest to find an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, the disease which afflicted her mother. On the biographical side, it's sort of interesting, but she's young and relatively unknown, so there's only so far this path can take you. On the scientific research side, it's quite interesting, as you see her formulate a new theory of causation for rheumatoid arthritis, and investigate potential drug treatments that promise to be revolutionary. When the book ends, you're still not sure if the treatment is proved out. Perhaps in 10 to 15 years, we may see Dr. Kass receive a Nobel Prize in Medicine, or we may hear nothing more from her. I'm hoping for the former.

[Trent Thompson]

This is a fascinating autobiographical account of a doctor’s pursuit and discovery of a new and effective drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis, the autoimmune disease that killed the author’s mother.

Because of the book’s subtitle, I expected the book to be less autobiographical and reflective in nature, and more so an informative guide in the exciting and evolving world of autoimmune research, a field I have particular interest in because of my own autoimmune struggles. Nonetheless, this was a quick and easy read, and the author’s research discoveries in identifying a connection between sex hormones and autoimmune disease certainly provide hope to those who have been affected, personally and relationally, by autoimmune disease.

[nats]

chociaż opinie w dużej mierze mówią o tym, że książka bardziej przypomina biografię, niż książkę naukową, nie zgadzam się z tym. jest to idealne połączenie dwóch tych gatunków, które ukazuje jednocześnie jak ciężka była to droga by znaleźć nowy lek, jak i w jaki sposób on wpływa na choroby autoimmunologiczne. wszystko napisane jest językiem przystępnym, tak, że zarówno osoby spoza środowiska medycznego jak i te, które znają temat z "wewnątrz", zrozumieją przesłanie. zdecydowanie polecam lekturę, niesamowicie wciągająca i otwierająca oczy książka.

[Lisa Odemyr]

This book focuses mainly on rheumatoid arthritis, and since I have juvenile arthritis I learned a lot from it and I feel like I have a better understanding of my disease. It was kind of an autobiography mixed with facts, and it was certainly very inspiring to read her story and about her stubbornness to help patients with autoimmune diseases. I'm very grateful that people like Anita, people who are determined to improve the lives of others, exist.

[Yycdaisy]

This book is mostly about how the author came up with a research idea and how she carried it out. She does give a short memoir of her childhood and why she became interested in autoimmune diseases, but the main part of the book is about her career and how she went about starting the research all the way to getting Big Pharma interested. It was a lot more interesting than it sounds and gives one some insight into the field of a research scientist.

[Nikhil]

I had different expectations from the book(my bad that the didn't read the introduction carefully)
I was expecting to learn a thing or two about the auto immune diseases and some tips to manage them.
I still learned a few other things though. The book is still fairly well written(it's author own story) and gives some insight into how there is a big monetary influence around any medical research and there are incentives around researches that drive them.

[Misti Atkins]

I really loved this book and the author is a brilliant writer as well as researcher. It’s a fascinating exploration into the process by which treatments are discovered, research, and commercialized. While she does also give a lot of great information on what’s happening in the body for someone fighting an autoimmune disease, I would not suggest this book for someone wanting to learn coping skills, or any other personalized ideas of acquiring knowledge.

[Rebecka Bergquist]

A really interesting book that Is well written. The way the author both explains the science behind autoimmune conditions as well as giving a personal twist by sharing her own story as well as the stories of patients suffering from these diseases. It's well written and bridges the gap between the science involved and makes it accessible to the public.

[Natalia Główczyk]

Tytuł sugeruje mocno naukową tematykę, a książka zawiera historię życia i badań autorki. Czyta się przyjemnie i dla kogoś niezapoznanego z podstawowymi funkcjami i zasadą działania układu odpornościowego może być interesująca. Lekka lektura na wieczór.

[Michael Kearney]

A real life behind the curtain look about a woman's calling and the effort that goes into drug development. Told through the eyes of the developer. Excellent book about autoimmune disease.

[C.]

3 1/2

[Sydney Freiberg]

The summary of diseases at the back was cool though!!!

[Solbjørg Sviland]

Fem stjerner ikke fordi den er godt skrevet, men fordi innholdet er så interessant.

[Mila]

Intressant bok skriven med hjärtat

[Cindy]

Very inspiring. Amazing work that she did with rheumatoid arthritis. So much more needs to be studied and tested related to autoimmune diseases. I appreciate those who are making it a priority.

[Melissa Koesel]

For those like myself who know anyone or themselves struggle with an auto-immune issue (diagnosed or un-diagnosed) this book can be extremely helpful to understanding why your body might behave the way it does.

Having gone through this herself, and pretty much being a pioneer in this field, the author provides very helpful insight to not only her own story but on ways that could apply to anyone looking to find answers out for themselves. Sometimes it’s not easy to find these answers so I found this book a very helpful and insightful read/source of reference!

[Rafe]

Not the best in terms of understanding immune system in depth for yourself to be honest, but that might takes more than a simple book, nevertheless it's more about her own pursuit as a researcher to find a cure for autoimmune disease from a female perspective in the field dominated by males, and we learn about immune system along with that journey.

Although it might be useful for people with those diseases and their families, I think more addressed to female audiences, especially that quite a lot of research was devoted to how pregnancy can dramatically change woman's life and what risk it brings.

[Ragne]

Noe banale forklaringer med immunsystemet som hær som gir en følelse av å være på barneskolen, men ellers informativ og lærerik. At den er bygget på personlige opplevelser gjør at man virkelig forstår hvor viktig forskningen er.
Litt deprimerende for en med flere autoimmune sykdommer og mye leddgikt i familien...

[June]

En viktig bok som gir et godt innblikk i forskningen på autoimmune sykdommer. Forfatteren har en flott balanse mellom å være personlig og profesjonell. Hun var pårørende av mor med leddgikt, og som døde av sykdommen da Anita var 13 år. Senere utdanner hun seg til å bli lege, og forsker etter hvert på leddgikt og andre autoimmune sykdommer.

[Laura Neal]

Helt vanvittig interessant og godt skrevet bok. Det gir så innmari mye håp for fremtiden for mer medisiner. Perfekt balanse mellom historier, forskning og håp.
Også! Føltes som en liten oppmuntring til å ville forske på noe du har personlig relasjon/erfaring med fordi åpenbart fungerte det her:)))

[Takako Servo]

I'd say, truth is more thrilling than fiction, reading experience of this book was exactly like this.