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Endocrinology Pathophysiology to Therapy
By Akuffo Quarde
Published by Wiley Blackwell 1st Edition and Published December 2023
Price £58.99
Endocrinology Pathophysiology to Therapy is a slim paperback which amounts to a total of 358 pages including the index. The book is an impressive offering for a first edition, but the outstanding benefit of this book is the logical layout, the emphasis on basic physiology and relevant pathophysiology, as well as the clinical pharmacological aspects of treatment. Endocrinology is not always an easy discipline to understand and so this particular approach allows the reader to gain a deep understanding of the basic scientific principles underlying this specialty.
Since this book is produced by a single author, there is editorial consistency and a uniformity of style and substance which the author carries off to great effect. The writing style is clear and unambiguous, and the book is a pleasure to read. I love the boxes which contain ‘practice pearls’ – a few sentences of critical clinical information – which are scattered throughout the book. There are also boxes which contain clinical trial evidence and there are good uses of tables. An excellent example of the latter is Table 5.3 (p. 189) which compares osteoporosis and osteomalacia – an area of understandable confusion. This excellent table swiftly and easily clears up the distinction.
There are also some superb diagrams throughout the book which neatly compliment the text. I also like the concept of regularly covering relevant physiology followed by mechanisms of action as well the clinical and practice pearl boxes. For example, on page 262, there is a box containing a pathophysiology pearl about the diurnal rhythm of cholesterol synthesis and the implications of therapy. It is a small box but packed full of clinically useful material.
Each chapter ends with practice-based questions with the answers are adjacent to the questions and references. The quiz at the end of the chapters is an excellent way to reinforce learning. Having the contents of the book at the beginning with a breakdown of chapter contents is also very user friendly.
Overall, this book is packed full of learning and very much concentrates on pathophysiology and therapy, as implicated in the title. The author of this book clearly knows their subject but critically, they have conveyed the information in a clear style which makes this book an excellent educational source. Hopefully the next edition will follow this style and expand on even more topics. At just under £60, this is very good value for money.
