Epidemiology of the Rheumatic Diseases by Alan J. Silman, Marc C. Hochberg, Alan J. Silman (Editor)

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Reviewer:Liron Caplan, BA, MD (Washington University Medical Center)
Description:The authors have produced an admirable sequel to their 1993 landmark work in the field of rheumatologic epidemiology. In addressing their subject, they have adopted an expansive definition of epidemiology that subsumes demographic factors, genetic factors, trends over time, and environmental factors.
Purpose:This book attempts to convey epidemiologic data on musculoskeletal conditions in a form which makes it relevant to a wide variety of applications. These are worthy objectives and the authors achieve these objectives quite handily.
Audience:The material conveyed in this book is certainly relevant for clinical practitioners, healthcare policymakers, and educators. Students might use this book as reference source. The authors are generally regarded as luminaries in their field.
Features:The book addresses the most common inflammatory joint diseases, connective tissue diseases, a few degenerative and metabolic musculoskeletal diseases, as well as pain syndromes. In general, the quality of the discussion in each chapter reflects the quality of the available data for each specific disorder. The rather large compilation of data charts are simple to read, and the photos, illustrations, and graphs are certainly adequate. Although the information in this book is as current as in any available book, the rapid advances in this field may lend themselves more to journals or electronic media.
Assessment:The authors' current offering represents a new and thorough treatment of an vast topic, rather than simply a revision of their priorwork. The authors' expansive definition of epidemiology subsumes genetic factors, trends over time, and environmental factors. The relevance of this book is magnified by this broad scope — a consequence that would not have been achieved by merely cataloging basic demographics. Those who are lucky enough to procure a copy of this work will quickly appreciate its utility.

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Table of Contents