This comprehensive, well-organized, clinically relevant overview of asthma is an excellent reference for primary care physicians and specialists who care for children and adults with this disorder. Clinical research and new technology are transferred to the bedside by this completely rewritten third edition.
The style and format are readable and easily understood. Each of the 33 chapters is written by knowledgeable authors. The book is conveniently divided into the following specific sections: "Definitions and Host Responses to Bronchospasm" (part I); "Patient Management" (part II); "Special Clinical Problems" (part III); and "Living With Asthma" (part IV). Differential diagnosis, treatment of chronic asthma, and management of status asthmaticus are discussed in separate chapters for children and adults.
Part I offers an overview of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of asthma. The important role of the pulmonary function laboratory in the diagnosis and management of asthma is also presented. This section includes an interesting