1. Kidney anatomy and physiology - The basis of clinical nephrology -- 2. Measuring kidney function - Quantifying glomerular filtration from laboratory tests -- 3. Plot all the dots - Graphs reveal the progression of kidney disease -- 4. Kidney function in acute illness and acute kidney injury -- 5. How are you feeling? - Symptoms of kidney disease -- 6. What is your lifestyle, occupation and past medical history? - How social, environmental and other medical conditions are linked to kidney disease -- 7. Do you have diabetes mellitus? - How diabetes and its treatments are linked to kidney disease -- 8. Are you pregnant or planning a pregnancy? - How pregnancy affects the kidneys and vice versa -- 9. What is your family history? - The molecular genetics of inherited kidney diseases -- 10. What have you been taking? - Nephrotoxicity from drugs and other chemicals -- 11. Height and weight - The effects of kidney disease on development; links between obesity and kidney disease -- 12. Blood pressure - The interactions between hypertension and kidney disease -- 13. Urine testing - Understanding haematuria, proteinuria and urinary infection -- 14. May I examine you?- Physical signs related to kidney diseases -- 15. Full Blood Count - Haematology results and kidney diseases -- 16. Acid, base and the kidneys -- 17. Calcium, phosphate and bones - How bone and mineral metabolism is altered in kidney disease -- 18. Immunology - Serological tests that help diagnose kidney diseases -- 19. Urinary tract imaging - Strengths and weaknesses of different radiology modalities -- 20. Should we biopsy a kidney? - Balancing the benefits against the risks -- 21. Kidney stone disease - A link between nephrology and urology -- 22. Planning treatment - When and how to prepare for a life with kidney disease -- 23. Kidney replacement therapy - Common problems in dialysis and transplant patients -- 24. Frequently asked questions.

Understanding Kidney Diseases makes accessible a medical specialty that is commonly regarded by students as difficult. The target audience is undergraduate and non-specialist postgraduate students. The book is unique in combining the reference material normally found in a nephrology textbook with the everyday clinical applicability of a medical handbook. The chapters are structured on the approach that a clinician should take when assessing someone with a possible kidney problem. The factual content is brought to life by over 60 case studies and is illustrated by a high density of figures, many displaying information in a graphical form that avoids off-putting data and text. It is an authored book, written in a consistent style that is deliberately clear, concise and easy to follow. Nonetheless, it is referenced in as much detail as would be expected in a conventional textbook. It explains principles and concepts that help students understand and interpret clinical problems. No other textbook of nephrology combines these features. The book emphasises a patient-centred approach to practice. Students’ knowledge can be put it into practice by answering a bank of questions that patients frequently ask, and tested against traditional multiple-choice questions. In summary, Understanding Kidney Diseases gives students confidence in helping someone with a kidney problem. Praised by leading nephrologists, it is the book the authors wish they could have read when they were students.