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Head and Associate Professor Department of Clinical and Administrative Sciences School of Pharmacy The University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, Louisiana
| Edited by Joseph T DiPiro PharmD FCCP, Robert L Talbert
PharmD FCCP BCPS, Gary C Yee PharmD FCCP, Gary R Matzke PharmD FCP FCCP,
Barbara G Wells PharmD FASHP FCCP BCPP, and L Michael Posey BSPharm. Published
by McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, New York, 2002. ISBN
0-07-136361-0. Clothbound, xxxiii + 2668 pp. (28 x 22 cm), $155.
www.accessmedbooks.com
|
Published Online, March 25, 2003. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1C445
The format of the text is similar to previous editions, with the text primarily divided into categories based on organ systems (e.g., cardiovascular disorders) or therapeutic areas (e.g., infectious diseases, oncologic disorders). Many of the sections begin with an introductory chapter covering the evaluation of the organ system or general therapeutic principles for the therapeutic category. Like the fourth edition, the text begins with a section on basic concepts, presenting topics such as pharmacoeconomics, health outcomes and quality of life, clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, pediatrics, geriatrics, pharmacoepidemiology, and clinical toxicology. New to this section are chapters covering evidence-based medicine and pharmacogenetics. The chapter on evidence-based medicine provides a brief but excellent review of the topic and its importance. The chapter on pharmacogenetics does a good job of relating current information on genetic polymorphisms and gene therapy to current and future therapy.
Section 2 covers cardiovascular disorders and has 3 chapters with slightly altered titles: Uncomplicated Myocardial Infarction, Isolated Diastolic Heart Failure and the Cardiomyopathies, and Venous Thromboembolism. Of these, only the second is significantly different from the previous edition in organization and content. While significant information on diastolic heart failure has been added to the chapter, the unit on dilated cardiomyopathies was deleted from this chapter and is covered in the chapter on heart failure (Chapter 13). The cardiovascular section contains updated information including the 2001 Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines for the management and treatment of high cholesterol and the 2001 Chest guidelines on venous thromboembolism. With the exception of normal updating associated with a new text, Section 3, Respiratory Disorders, is not significantly different from the previous edition. As can be expected, the chapter on asthma does not contain the updated National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's asthma guidelines published in 2002; however, the authors did include comparative dosage information for beclomethasone in a hydrofluoroalkane delivery system, the only inhaled corticosteroid not covered in the 1997 guidelines. An addendum was included at the end of the chapter on chronic obstructive lung disease, directing the reader to the most up-to-date guidelines.
New information on irritable bowel syndrome has been added to the chapter on diarrhea and constipation in Section 4, Gastrointestinal Disorders. Section 5, covering renal disorders and electrolyte disorders, has 2 new chapters. The information in the fourth edition's chapter on chronic renal insufficiency and end-stage renal disease has been expanded to 2 chapters — one titled Pathophysiology and Therapeutics of Progressive Renal Disease, the other End-Stage Renal Disease — allowing for a more in-depth review of current knowledge. In addition, the chapter on electrolyte homeostasis has been expanded to 2 chapters as well, one covering Disorders of Sodium, Water, Calcium, and Phosphorus Homeostasis and the other discussing Disorders of Potassium and Magnesium Homeostasis. The expansion of this section includes useful tables referring to drug-induced hyperkalemia and the classification of foods that are high in potassium, as well as figures summarizing the diagnosis and treatment of hypernatremia and hypocalcemia and a new section on the treatment of edema.
Sections 6 and 7 (Neurologic Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders) contain updated information on the same topics covered in the fourth edition. The chapter titled Acute Management of the Head Injury Patient includes information from the 2000 update of the brain trauma foundation guidelines as well as updated information from a series of systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library. With the exception of updated information, Section 8, Endocrinologic Disorders, is unchanged. Readers should be aware that the American Diabetes Association Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus updates their guidelines on a regular basis, and information in this chapter should be evaluated against updated guidelines. A new chapter on endometriosis was added to Section 9, Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders. The chapter on pregnancy and lactation is significantly changed, with an expanded section on preconception planning, a new section on pharmacokinetics in pregnancy, and expanded sections on the treatment of acute and chronic conditions in the pregnant patient. As can be expected based on the text's publication date, the chapter on hormone replacement therapy does not contain information obtained from the Women's Health Initiative trial concerning the safety and efficacy of hormone replacement.
The fifth edition has added a new section, Section 10, that addresses urologic disorders. Topics covered in this section include erectile dysfunction, management of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and urinary incontinence. Sections 11 through 15 — Immunologic Disorders; Bone and Joint Disorders; Disorders of the Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat; and Dermatologic Disorders — are largely unchanged from the fourth edition with respect to format. The chapter on osteoporosis and osteomalacia has a very effective figure outlining the management of osteoporosis based on the 2001 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists guidelines. Section 16, Infectious Diseases, contains a new chapter on superficial fungal infections. This chapter covers vulvovaginal, oropharyngeal, and esophageal candidiasis, as well as mycotic skin infections, topics that were not covered in the fourth edition. Because the guidelines for the treatment of HIV and opportunistic infections in HIV patients have been updated since the publication of the book, the information in the text concerning these topics may not be current.
Section 17, Oncologic Disorders, contains the same topics as the fourth edition; however, the title of the chapter on bone marrow transplantation has been changed to Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to reflect current terminology. The chapter on pediatric and geriatric nutrition has been deleted from Section 18, Nutritional Disorders. A large component of the pediatric information has been incorporated into the chapter on assessment of nutrition status and nutrition requirements; however, information concerning specific nutritional products for the infant and child has been deleted.
Overall, the book is an excellent review of the pharmacotherapy of specific disease states and fulfills its purpose. As a primary drawback, it often lacks specific information on drug dosing. The editors and authors are all well-respected clinicians and scholars in their field, and the information presented appears to be accurate and up-to-date given the publication restraints of a tertiary reference. In general, pivotal or important trials are reviewed in the text and, when available, treatment guidelines have been updated. When compared to the fourth edition of the book, the fifth edition provides significantly more information. In addition, the tables and figures are easier to read. As with the fourth edition, the fifth edition provides a section on the pharmacoeconomics of therapy and a small summary of key points at the end of each chapter. The font of the general text is somewhat smaller, but did not seem problematic. (I will have to admit here that I do not need to wear reading glasses, and therefore, this may be a biased opinion!).
This text is ideal for use as required reading in a therapeutics or pharmacotherapy course, and it is now the most current of the 3 texts commonly used at Schools of Pharmacy as a required text for these courses. In addition, it tends to have more chapters covering specific disorders than the Textbook of Therapeutics: Drug and Disease Management, 7th edition and Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs, 7th edition. This text does not use the case-based approach seen in Applied Therapeutics; however, as with the Textbook of Therapeutics, an accompanying casebook can be purchased. At $155.00, Pharmacotherapy is a significant purchase; however, the depth, breadth, and quality of the compilation make it worth the price. The utility of the book is not limited to students and would be a practical purchase for practitioners and medical libraries, as well as healthcare systems.
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