It is well known that cardiovascular complications are prevalent in majority diseases treated by rheumatologists. The Heart in Rheumatic, Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the numerous methods in which the cardiovascular system may be involved. Udi Nussinovitch of the Ramban Health Care Camus and Technion Institute of Technology and his 96 distinguished colleagues from around the world have excelled at providing a wealth of information ranging from pathogenesis to clinical manifestations and diagnostic tools useful for evaluating individual rheumatic illnesses and their cardiovascular comorbidities. Attention is also paid to therapeutic options in numerous rheumatic diseases and cardiovascular complications. This provides extremely useful and practical information to readers practicing at many levels in the specialty of rheumatology.
This textbook is divided, in a highly organized format, into three major sections and a total of 28 chapters. The first section describes the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in many rheumatic conditions and provides useful diagnostic methods that help guide a focused work up. The second section deals with specific rheumatic diseases. It is organized in a way in which it effectively provides a summary of the disease’s epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and laboratory and immunologic abnormalities as an introduction to the different ways in which the cardiovascular system may become involved in the context of each disease. The diseases covered include common conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and systemic lupus erythematosus, to the less frequent conditions, such as autoinflammatory syndromes. The third section focuses on a wide range of pharmacologic agents and their potential cardiovascular effect. The latter provides a highly useful and necessary guide for any practitioner who deals with such medications.
The textbook covers a wide variety of cardiovascular topics, ranging from early atherosclerosis to myocarditis to risk factors that may increase the cardiovascular risk in particular rheumatic diseases. The illustrations, tables, and pictures are instructive and valuable, accomplishing the goal of not only complementing the information provided by the text but also strengthening the understanding of the topic. Imaging techniques, including Doppler echocardiography, cardiac MRI, PET, and coronary angiography are efficiently explained and portrayed.
Toward the end of the book, there is also information about future therapeutic approaches, such as hormonal immunomodulation and vaccines against atherosclerosis. This highlights the importance of a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms underlying heart disease and future therapeutic options aimed at treating and minimizing progression of such complications, ultimately leading to improved quality of life and survival of our patients.
The Heart in Rheumatic, Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease succeeds is a valuable textbook providing useful information to readers with varying degrees of expertise. It is a welcome addition to the library of clinicians and scientist interested in this field.