Sarcoidosis: A Clinician’s Guide

By Robert Phillip Baughman, MD and Dominique Valeyre, MD

ISBN: 9780323544290

Pub Date: 07 Dec 2018

Reviewed by: Santosh Dhungana, MD (Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine)

Description

This book covers multiple aspects of sarcoidosis including epidemiology, genetics, pathology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment algorithms in a compact, readable and easy-to-handle format.

Purpose

The purpose is to cover the latest understanding about the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of sarcoidosis and its protean manifestations, and highlight areas where further research is needed. These are worthy objectives, and the book meets its objectives well. This is one of the few books on the subject, and this makes it a laudable attempt.

Audience

The book is written primarily for practicing pulmonologists who take care of patients with sarcoidosis or have an interest in sarcoidosis management. It is, however, very helpful for pulmonary physicians in training as well as researchers in the field of sarcoidosis. Dr. Baughman and colleagues are credible authorities in this area.

Features

The book starts with the epidemiology and putative environmental causes of sarcoidosis. It discusses the genetics, immunology, and pathology of the disease, followed by diagnosis of sarcoidosis in different organ systems including the lung, heart, eye and nervous system. It discusses different imaging modalities used in the monitoring of disease, particularly pulmonary sarcoidosis. The last section deals with treatment, including anti-inflammatory therapy, treatment of pulmonary hypertension, and extra-pulmonary manifestations of the disease, as well as lung transplantation. The chapters are succinct yet full of information and up to date. They are well illustrated with color photographs and use tables, graphs, and algorithms where appropriate. References are adequate.

Assessment

Overall, this book does a very good job of providing a comprehensive overview of sarcoidosis and its protean manifestations in the human body. It is one of the few updated books on the subject, and the compact size and succinct text adds to its utility. This is a welcome addition to the library of any practicing pulmonologist. Highly recommended.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 98 – 5 Stars!