Correspondence Address:
Vinod Ravindran
Centre for Rheumatology, Calicut, Kerala
India

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[AUTHOR:1]Editors: Robert D. Inman, Joachim SieperEdition: First Edition, 2016Publisher: Oxford University Press, UKISBN: 9780198734444Pages: 306Price: £115

The concept of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) has undergone major changes in the recent years, and rather than focusing on ankylosing spondylitis which is the end result of a chronic disease process, detecting and managing axial inflammation early have become the major targets. Not only our understanding of the biological basis of axSpA has improved, but also we have much better targeted therapies with which our experience is ever growing. This Oxford Textbook of Axial Spondyloarthritis has been able to do justice to all the aforementioned areas and much more; it is perhaps the first book to cover axSpA with this degree of detail.

The volume contains well-written and exhaustive chapters contributed by leading experts and researchers in this field including epidemiology, diagnosis, and classification of axSpA, immune mechanisms, and genetics. Detailed chapters on imaging cover both spine and sacroiliac joints. Chapters on historical perspective, outcome measures, and extra-articular manifestations would add to the knowledge base of users. All therapies including surgical options are well covered. Chapters on patient registries, economics of the disease, and work disability related to axSpA further enhance the utility of this volume. For the readers in India and elsewhere, a particularly useful chapter is “axSpA in India” by Malaviya and Kumar.