Main description:

Rheumatology: A clinical handbook is an essential resource for medical students who need an introduction, understanding and overview of the subject.

Most competing texts either burden medical students with information they do not require, or cover rheumatology alongside orthopaedics and as a result compromise fundamentals of rheumatology.

This book is different:

It provides all the information students need during their rheumatology placement
Further information resources are signposted for those who want to take their studies further
A definition and brief pathophysiology for each condition is provided, which is linked to the respective clinical features.
The book covers the core elements of diagnosis and treatment based on the latest national guidelines to swiftly bring students and junior doctors in training up-to-date.
Self-assessment questions and an OSCE chapter provide a way of checking that users have understood and grasped the core material, as well as enabling students to be well equipped for their written and OSCE examinations.

Written by two medical students and an experienced consultant rheumatologist, the book combines a reader-friendly writing style with coverage of the material through clinical experience of a professional in the field.

Printed in full colour throughout, with an attractive design, a clear and concise writing style as well as a range of pedagogical features including an array of mnemonics, pictures and diagrams, Rheumatology: A clinical handbook is exactly the sort of book medical students and newly qualified doctors would benefit from.

Contents:

1. INTRODUCTION

2. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA); Osteoarthritis (OA); Septic arthritis; Introduction to spondyloarthropathies: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA); Ankylosing spondylitis; Reactive arthritis; Gout; Calcium pyrophosphate disease (CPPD); Vasculitis; Giant cell arteritis (GCA); Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR); SLE; Polymyositis and dermatomyositis; Sjoegren's syndrome; Scleroderma; Fibromyalgia; Osteoporosis; Paget's disease

3. PAEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY CONDITIONS

Vitamin D deficiency; Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

4. INVESTIGATIONS

Blood tests; Immunological tests; Synovial fluid analysis; Imaging

5. PHARMACOLOGY

Analgesia; Corticosteroids; Osteoporosis drugs; DMARDs and biological agents

6. OSCEs

History taking; Examination; Differential diagnosis

Appendix A: Answers to self-assessment questions

Appendix B: Photograph acknowledgements