Handbook of Nutrition and the Kidney
William E. Mitch and Saulo Klahr
5th Edition, 2005
Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins
530 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
http://www.LWW.com
ISBN: 0-7817-6031-3
Soft cover, 330 pages, U.S. $54.95

The Handbook of Nutrition and the Kidney focuses on describing how diet can impact kidney function and how kidney function can affect nutrient metabolism. This book integrates the scientific fundamentals and clinical expertise with the information needed to provide a widespread approach to the nutritional needs of the patient with renal failure. This includes acute and chronic renal failure, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, renal transplant, diabetes and nephropathy, and nephrotic syndrome.

The format and organization of the book flow in sequence. The handbook starts by explaining the nutritional requirements of healthy adults and goes on to explain management in acute renal failure, progressive renal insufficiency, chronic renal failure, and renal transplantation. Nutritional management of lipid disorders, calcium/phosphorus abnormalities, and bone metabolism are new to this edition.

Major strengths include a concise, easy to follow format, readily available information for health professionals, explanations for applying nutritional principles, extended use of illustrations and charts, good references, and its emphasis on using experts in clinical nutrition. Readability and writing style was not overloaded with medical jargon.

Dietitians, nurses, physicians, and fellows who provide care to patients with kidney disease will benefit from this handbook. The last chapter “Nutrition Intervention for Chronic Renal Diseases” is especially beneficial to dietitians.

Vanessa Jones, RD
Registered Dietitian
Dialysis Clinic, Inc.
Charleston, SC
Member, ANNA’s Palmetto Chapter

Fast Facts: Renal Disorders
Jeremy Levy, Charles Pusey, and Ajay Singh
United Kingdom:
Health Press Limited
Elizabeth House, Queen Street
Abingdon, Oxford, OX14 3CN, UK
United States:
Bookmasters, Inc.
2541 Ashland Road
Mansfield, OH 44905
(800) 537-6727
www.fastfacts.com
ISBN 1-903734-68-1
Soft cover, 143 pages, U.S. $24.95

Fast Facts: Renal Disorders, a compact, evidence-based guide to renal diseases and disorders, is designed for doctors and nurses who teach and train in hospitals and the community. Nurses in nephrology and dialysis will gain an awareness of renal disease and its management and complications. Some of the content includes: screening for renal disease, electrolyte disturbances, acid base disorders, acute renal failure, chronic kidney disease, renal replacement therapy, and renal transplantation. It covers diseases most often associated with kidney disease - hypertension, diabetic neuropathy, glomerulonephritis, systemic diseases, and inherited kidney diseases. It has good definitions of treatments, lab tests, values and outcomes. It has tables and charts that will aid in clinical diagnosis.

It highlights and reviews each section with bulleted and easy to read tables. Illustrations are clearly labeled and easy to understand. It has color coded tabs for the entire chapter with a corresponding page in the front of the book and one on the back cover for quick and easy reference. Each chapter has a list of key references. At the end of the book, there is a list of useful addresses and Web sites in the United Kingdom and the United States. This book is compact, is well written, and is an easy read.