Hugh C. Rayner – författare

This book combines the reference material of a nephrology textbook with the everyday relevance of a clinical handbook. This second edition develops and expands upon the success of the first. All the content has been updated and entirely new chapters on acid-base disorders and stone disease have been added.

Understanding Kidney Diseases includes over 60 real-life case studies and is illustrated with over 200 figures. Readers can test their knowledge with a bank of multiple-choice questions and put it into practice by answering questions that patients frequently ask. The book provides all that students, residents and fellows need in order to approach a patient with a kidney problem with confidence.

Understanding Kidney Diseases makes accessible a medical specialty that is commonly regarded by students as difficult. The target audience is undergraduate and non-specialist postgraduate students. 

The book is unique in combining the reference material normally found in a nephrology textbook with the everyday clinical applicability of a medical handbook. The chapters are structured on the approach that a clinician should take when assessing someone with a possible kidney problem. The factual content is brought to life by over 60 case studies and is illustrated by a high density of figures, many displaying information in a graphical form that avoids off-putting data and text. 

It is an authored book, written in a consistent style that is deliberately clear, concise and easy to follow. Nonetheless, it is referenced in as much detail as would be expected in a conventional textbook. It explains principles and concepts that help students understand and interpret clinical problems. No other textbook of nephrology combines these features. 

The book emphasises a patient-centred approach to practice. Students’ knowledge can be put it into practice by answering a bank of questions that patients frequently ask, and tested against traditional multiple-choice questions. 

In summary, Understanding Kidney Diseases gives students confidence in helping someone with a kidney problem. Praised by leading nephrologists, it is the book the authors wish they could have read when they were students.