Summer 2022 (Volume 32, Number 2)
Book Review
The Rheumatology Handbook for Clinicians (3rd edition)
Lori Albert, ed. Brush Education Inc., 2022, 480 pages
Reviewed by Philip A. Baer, MDCM, FRCPC, FACR
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While you can look up anything and everything
online, a trusted guide to rheumatology diagnosis
and therapy with a Canadian lens remains a
needed and valuable tool for all healthcare professionals,
irrespective of professional field of practice or experience
level. Building upon the success of the prior two editions,
the latest edition of the Handbook is endorsed by the CRA
and remains a pocket-sized guide to our fascinating field.
Seven sections cover common presentations of rheumatic
diseases, rheumatologic manifestations of other diseases,
investigative testing in rheumatology, therapeutics, rheumatologic
emergencies, physical examination, and joint injection
and aspiration techniques. The latter section, with
its clear photos and emphasis on joint landmarks, will appeal
to anyone who remains comfortable with performing
joint procedures without imaging guidance.
The authors are a who’s who of Canadian rheumatology
leaders. All but one is an academic physician: the sole exception
being Dr. Michael Blackmore, a community rheumatologist
in Toronto, who wrote a comprehensive summary
of rheumatologic manifestations of HIV disease.
Close to half the book appropriately covers the approach
to diagnosis and the rheumatology physical examination.
As we all know, the patient history is by far the most important
aspect to get right, and 90% of the time, we have
homed in on the correct diagnosis before examining the
patient. Physical examination is divided into the screening
musculoskeletal (MSK) examination and the detailed examination
of specific joints, all well illustrated and of great
value to non-rheumatologists in particular. The third largest
section covers diagnostic testing and should be required
reading in all primary care training programs, as
this subject engenders the greatest handwringing among
practicing rheumatologists bombarded with referrals for
weakly positive RF and ANA tests, often ordered inappropriately.
COVID-19 is covered, and other updated sections include
new therapeutics, and emerging conditions such as
immune-mediated adverse effects of cancer immunotherapy.
All chapters feature bulleted lists of key points, tables of
relevant information, and clear diagrams illustrating such
things as classification criteria, patterns of joint involvement,
and organ manifestations of different syndromes.
Whether you keep the handbook in your pocket (for
those still wearing a traditional white lab coat), next to
your computer on your desk, or on your bookshelf, I know
you will find it to be an excellent resource for yourself,
your trainees, the arthritis health professionals you work
with, and particularly your non-rheumatologist colleagues
in primary care.
Philip A. Baer, MDCM, FRCPC, FACR
Editor-in-chief, CRAJ
Scarborough, Ontario
Visit https://utpdistribution.com/9781550599039/
rheumatolgy-handbook-for-clinicians/ to order a copy
of the book. Use the code CRA20 at checkout to
receive a 20% discount off the purchase price.
The ebook is also available from all major ebook
retailers, including Kindle, Kobo, and Apple Books.
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