Kaplan's Clinical Hypertension, 9th edn (2005). Norman M Kaplan. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, USA. ISBN 0-7817-6198-0; 528 pages; US$99.00.

Abstract

It was not unusual to find a single-author textbook on diseases such as hypertension 30 years ago. What is remarkable is finding an author in 2005 who presents us with a new edition of a text that was first published in 1973. Norman M Kaplan is the author, and his book, Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension, has just appeared as edition 9. Kaplan is well known as an erudite speaker and commentator on various aspects of hypertension. He has continued to play a leadership role in hypertension over four decades and has managed to remain current in topics as diverse as population studies, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment. In Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension, Kaplan has extensively revised and updated his earlier work by including recent advances in hypertension management and numerous references to papers that have appeared since the last edition. I even spotted a reference to a paper published by this reviewer from 2005, which confirms Kaplan’s ability to cite excellent work from as recently as two years ago! Some may criticize Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension for being superficial in its treatment of various aspects of this condition. By choice, the author has chosen a ‘user-friendly’ writing style, with just enough facts to satisfy the needs of readers without swamping them in myriads of detail. Instead, Kaplan provides extensive references for those seeking more information on particular subjects. It is not surprising that Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension is an ‘easy read’. Its author has a well-deserved reputation as being as excellent educator, both verbally and in print. Although Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension tends to have an American perspective, Kaplan does present the viewpoints of European and international organizations, some of which conflict with American guidelines. For example, he supports much of the content of the JNC 7, but goes on to say that these recommendations were remiss in not including global risk assessment in the management of hypertensive patients –an approach taken in most other guidelines. Kaplan presents a realistic and balanced approach to the management of hypertension. He discusses lifestyle modification in considerable detail but avoids climbing on the ‘natural treatment’ bandwagon, stating, on several occasions, that lifestyle changes may be effective in reducing blood pressure in clinical trials, but they are often difficult to achieve in the real world. One fault with Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension is the poor quality of figures and tables, which have been reproduced from other sources. This deficiency is quite out of keeping with the otherwise excellent quality of the text and its presentation. In this edition, Joseph Flynn was invited to write a chapter on hypertension in childhood and adolescence. Otherwise, Kaplan has avoided using multiple authors, which would have detracted from the uniform style and content of the text. Indeed, Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension could be used as an excellent reference source for those of us with a major interest in hypertension, but it could also be read cover to cover by any health professional wishing to become more knowledgeable about this condition. If a ‘recommended list’ for textbooks in hypertension exists, Kaplan’s Clinical Hypertension certainly deserves to be ranked among the top choices.