The Infectious Complications of Renal Disease (Oxford Medical Publications)

This book covers the whole range of infections that patients at all stages of renal disease may encounter for example acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis and transplantation. The diabetic with renal disease merits a separate chapter. As far as is possible a clinical chapter is balanced by a chapter dealing with pathophysiology.
The book is divided in to three sections: 1)Basic Mechanisms, 2)Infectious complications of common renal conditions, renal failure and transplantation, 3)Prevention and management.
The uraemic condition as a state of immunosupression is discussed to set the set the scene for why renal patients are prone to so many diverse infections. Increasingly potent immunosupressive drugs are being deployed in a variety of primary conditions and also to prevent renal allograft rejection. The mechanisms by which these drugs predispose to infection are discussed. A chapter deals specifically with peritoneal defence mechanisms of critical importance in the management of infection complicating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
The second section of the book deals specifically with infectious complications in defined situations. For example, diabetes mellitus is discussed in detail as this is now the major cause of endstage chronic renal failure. Infectious complications of glomerulonephritis and vasculitis are discussed, and this relates to the effects of the potent immunosuppressive agents now deployed. Specific chapters are devoted to infectious complications of peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis including a chapter on mucormycosis. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C have each been given a chapter and the impact of these hepatitis viruses on the renal patient from chronic renal failure through dialysis to transplantation. Infectious complcation of transplatation follows and reviews the common infections as well as presenting some new data on viral induced tumours.
In the final section of the book, prevention of infection is discussed with particular emphasis to vascular access and the care of the uraemic ischaemic/diabetic foot. The general principles relating to limiting the spread of infection within the Renal Unit are discussed in detail. Increasing patient mobility and travel requires that travel and vaccination in renal patients are discussed. The book ends with a practical chapter on prescribing advice for the use of common anti-microbial agents.