It was an interesting coincidence to be working on this edition of FP Essentials when a friend contacted me. He is in his mid-60s and underwent imaging because of a back problem. The imaging revealed an incidental finding of a kidney cyst. I guess the orthopedist he was seeing did not know much about kidney cysts, and whatever he told my friend caused him a great deal of anxiety. Fortunately, I had just finished editing Section Two of this edition, which is about kidney cysts and tumors. I was able to reassure my friend and share that half or more of people his age have kidney cysts, and they are almost always of no concern.

There is lots of other useful information in this edition. Although the reviews of glomerulonephritis (Section One) and nephrotic syndrome (Section Three) will make you realize how complicated it can be to manage these conditions, or even to keep track of all the terminology, there also is practical information to help you ensure that you evaluate patients according to current guideline recommendations. And Section Four on urinary tract infections—something all family physicians see regularly in practice—provides an update on current management recommendations. This section also makes the important point that we should not be so quick to treat asymptomatic bacteriuria except in pregnant patients.

I hope you will find this edition of FP Essentials to be as informative and useful as I did.

Barry D. Weiss, MD, FAAFP, Associate Medical Editor
Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson