Book Review
Rose & Black's Clinical Problems in Nephrology
N Engl J Med 1996; 335:1693November 28, 1996
- Article
Rose & Black's Clinical Problems in Nephrology
By Robert M. Black, with contributions from Howard J. Alfred, Pang-Yen Fan, and Jeffrey S. Stoff. 597 pp. Boston, Little, Brown, 1996. $99.95. ISBN: 0-316-75652-0The title of this book is slightly misleading. The book does not present clinical problems, each followed by a discussion and solutions. It is instead a concise textbook of clinical nephrology, and as Black states, it provides “quick access to the practical information clinicians need in their daily practice.”
The book is an expanded revision of the Manual of Clinical Problems in Nephrology (Boston: Little, Brown, 1988). As often occurs with updated books, some chapters are not completely rewritten but only renovated, and the result is less homogeneous, like a painting with patches restored in different styles.
Even though this is presented as “a clinically useful guide to all areas of nephrology and hypertension,” there are unavoidable omissions, because knowledge is accumulating so fast. You will not find updated information on Liddle's syndrome and its molecular mechanism, an autosomal recessive form of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus due to a defective aquaporin gene, the location of the gene of juvenile nephronophthisis on chromosome 2, or most surprisingly, hyperkalemia induced by high doses of trimethoprim. In contrast, discussions of other topics have been well updated and contain references published in 1995. You may be surprised to find the primary antiphospholipid syndrome in the chapter on the hemolytic–uremic syndrome (the renal lesion of thrombotic microangiopathy, the hallmark of the latter syndrome, may be seen in patients with the former). You may be confused to find mixed together discussions of (macroscopic) periarteritis nodosa and microscopic polyangiitis, because the renal involvement and serologic findings in these two disorders are usually so different. You may be disappointed by the poor quality of some of the histopathological images, the striking lack of epidemiologic data on various renal diseases and, more specifically, on the various forms of glomerular diseases, or the failure to discuss renal involvement in Fabry's disease.
Despite these drawbacks, this book is valuable for a reader seeking rapid access to the most important information on renal diseases, hypertension, and disorders of water and electrolytes. This is not a book for nephrologists, but an introduction to nephrology for trainees and general physicians.
Jean-Pierre Grünfeld
Hôpital Necker, 75743 Paris CEDEX 15, France
