Book Reviews

"Asthma and Immunological Diseases in Pregnancy and Early Infancy" | to pdf >>
A Book Review
By M. Michael Glovsky, MD

This volume is one hundred tenth in an extraordinary series of publications on lung biology sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute. The book addresses problems that are usually covered only briefly in standard texts of allergy, immunology, and pediatrics: namely,
effects of asthma and allergies on pregnant women and, conversely, effects of pregnancy on allergic, immunologic, and autoimmune diseases. Also addressed are the developmental aspects of allergic disease in infants.

The editors of this large, state-of-the-art book are recognized authorities in the areas covered. Dr. Schatz has devoted many years to studying the impact of allergic disease and asthma on pregnancy and has authored numerous articles on this subject. Dr. Zeiger, too, has been recognized for his developmental studies of allergies, natural history of allergic disease, and management of childhood allergies. Both editors are physician-researchers in the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), San Diego. Dr. Claman is a distinguished professor of immunology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO. In addition to Dr. Claman, seven physicians from SCPMG--including the editors--have contributed chapters to the book.

The chapters are organized into seven sections: Basic Science; General Therapeutics; Allergic Diseases; Asthma During Pregnancy; Immunological Diseases in Pregnancy; Development and Prevention of Allergic Diseases in Infancy; and Allergic and Immunological Diseases During Infancy.

All 51 contributing authors are experts in their specific areas and have written an assortment of easily readable, clinically instructive chapters--even a chapter on the medical-legal aspects of prescribing drugs during pregnancy. Although the references are extensive, researchers specializing in allergy-immunology will find that several chapters written in review format do not cover the world literature in full depth; nonetheless, the author index alone--100 pages in length--gives some sense of this book's attention to detail. Overall, this volume will be valuable to family physicians, allergists, obstetricians, pediatricians, and internists who are interested in discovering the nuances of asthma and allergy-immunology during pregnancy and early infancy.

Schatz M, Zeiger RS, Claman HN, editors. Asthma and immunological diseases in pregnancy and early infancy. New York: Marcel Dekker; 1998. ISBN: 0-8247-0095-3. Price: $225. 1,110 pages.