Grading Key ★★★★★ = outstanding; ★★★★ = excellent; ★★★ = good; ★★ = fair; ★ = poor
Type and Scope of Book:
A multiauthored review by leading experts worldwide that comprehensively addresses the fundamentals of this prototypical autoimmune inflammatory disease, from basic immunological mechanisms to state-of-the-art management strategies.
Contents:
The text begins with epidemiology, including particularly useful sections on relatively new concepts of the genetic basis for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and of gene-environment interactions. The next section discusses the clinical features of RA, including aspects of early arthritis, comorbidity, and disease impact. The following section highlights the basic pathogenesis of RA, including the roles of cellular mediators, autoantibodies, cytokines, and animal models. Next comes review of outcome measurements, including sections on composite disease activity measures and imaging outcomes. The final sections illuminate fundamental concepts for clinical trial design and strategies of RA management using conventional and biologic disease-modifying agents.
Strengths:
The chapters are succinct, well-written, and successfully highlight the most important concepts in their respective areas. The organization and flow of content are excellent. The illustrations and figures are of high quality.
Deficiencies:
As with any textbook, information in rapidly progressing fields may be outdated at publication. This may particularly affect chapters on genetics or immunopathogenesis.
Recommended Readership:
This book should be useful as a comprehensive textbook for rheumatology trainees as well as a valuable reference and conceptual framework for in-depth study, serving rheumatologist practitioners for several years to come.
Overall Grading:
★★★★