Clinical pharmacology is the science of drug use in humans. Clinicians of all specialties prescribe drugs on a daily basis, and this is both one of the most useful but also one of the most dangerous activities of our professional lives. Understanding the principles of clinical pharmacology is the basis of safe and effective therapeutic practice, which is why this subject forms an increasingly important part of the medical curriculum.
This textbook is addressed primarily to medical students and junior doctors of all specialties, but also to other professionals who increasingly prescribe medicines (including pharmacists, nurses and some other allied professionals). Clinical pharmacology is a fast moving subject and the present edition has been completely revised and updated. It differs from the fourth edition in that it concentrates exclusively on aspects that students should know and understand, rather than including a lot of reference material. This has enabled us to keep its length down. Another feature has been to include many new illustrations to aid in grasping mechanisms and principles.
The first section deals with general principles including pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and the various factors that modify drug disposition and drug interaction. We have kept algebraic formulations to a minimum. Drug metabolism is approached from a practical viewpoint, with discussion of the exciting new concept of personalized medicine. Adverse drug reactions and the use of drugs at the extremes of age and in pregnancy are covered, and the introduction of new drugs is discussed from the viewpoint of students who will see many new treatments introduced during their professional careers. Many patients use herbal or other alternative medicines and there is a new chapter on this important topic. There is a chapter on gene and cell-based therapies, which are just beginning to enter clinical practice. The remaining sections of the book deal comprehensively with major systems (nervous, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, alimentary, renal, endocrine, blood, skin and eye) and with multi-system issues including treatment of infections, malignancies, immune disease, addiction and poisoning.
- The Authors -
Contents
PART I GENERAL PRINCIPLES
- 1 Introduction to therapeutics
- 2 Mechanisms of drug action (pharmacodynamics)
- 3 Pharmacokinetics
- 4 Drug absorption and routes of administration
- 5 Drug metabolism
- 6 Renal excretion of drugs
- 7 Effects of disease on drug disposition 34
- 8 Therapeutic drug monitoring
- 9 Drugs in pregnancy
- 10 Drugs in infants and children
- 11 Drugs in the elderly
- 12 Adverse drug reactions
- 13 Drug interactions
- 14 Pharmacogenetics
- 15 Introduction of new drugs and clinical trials
- 16 Cell-based and recombinant DNA therapies
- 17 Alternative medicines: herbals and nutraceuticals
PART II THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
- 18 Hypnotics and anxiolytics
- 19 Schizophrenia and behavioural emergencies
- 20 Mood disorders
- 21 Movement disorders and degenerative CNS disease
- 22 Anti-epileptics
- 23 Migraine
- 24 Anaesthetics and muscle relaxants
- 25 Analgesics and the control of pain
PART III THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM
- 26 Anti-inflammatory drugs and the treatment of arthritis
PART IV THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
- 27 Prevention of atheroma: lowering plasma cholesterol and other approaches
- 28 Hypertension
- 29 Ischaemic heart disease
- 30 Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs
- 31 Heart failure
- 32 Cardiac dysrhythmias
PART V THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
- 33 Therapy of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory disorders
PART VI THE ALIMENTARY SYSTEM
- 34 Alimentary system and liver
- 35 Vitamins and trace elements
PART VII FLUIDS AND ELECTROLYTES
- 36 Nephrological and related aspects
PART VIII THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
- 37 Diabetes mellitus
- 38 Thyroid
- 39 Calcium metabolism
- 40 Adrenal hormones
- 41 Reproductive endocrinology
- 42 The pituitary hormones and related drugs
PART IX SELECTIVE TOXICITY
- 43 Antibacterial drugs
- 44 Mycobacterial infections
- 45 Fungal and non-HIV viral infections
- 46 HIV and AIDS
- 47 Malaria and other parasitic infections
- 48 Cancer chemotherapy
PART X HAEMATOLOGY
- 49 Anaemia and other haematological disorders
PART XI IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
- 50 Clinical immunopharmacology
PART XII THE SKIN
- 51 Drugs and the skin
PART XIII THE EYE
- 52 Drugs and the eye
PART XIV CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
- 53 Drugs and alcohol abuse
- 54 Drug overdose and poisoning
Index
About the Authors
- James Ritter, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at King's College London School of Medicine, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK.
- Lionel Lewis, Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology at Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.
- Tim Mant, Senior Medical Advisor at Quintiles, Guy's Drug Research Unit, and Visiting Professor at King's College London School of Medicine, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK.
- Albert Ferro, Reader in Clinical Pharmacology at King's College London School of Medicine, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK.
Book Review
The present edition of the textbook reflects the advances in therapeutics since the publication of the fourth edition. It is interesting to follow in all the editions of the book, for example, how the treatment of tumours has progressed. It was about the time of the first edition that Trounce set up the first oncology clinic at Guy’s Hospital in which he investigated the value of combined radiation and chemotherapy and drug cocktails in the treatment of lymphomas. John Trounce was pleased to see his textbook (and his subject) in the expert hands of Professor Ritter and his colleagues.
By Roy Spector, Professor Emeritus in Applied Pharmacology, University of London
Product Details
- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 5 edition (June 15, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0340900466
- ISBN-13: 978-0340900468
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1 inches
List Price: $57.50