Endocrinology is the study of medicine that relates to the endocrine system, which is the system that controls hormones. An endocrinologist will deal with diseases that are caused by problems with hormones.
Most patients begin their journey to the endocrinologist with a trip to their primary care provider or family doctor. This doctor will run a series of tests to see what could be the potential problem the patient is facing. If a problem with the hormones is suspected, the primary care doctor will provide a referral. The endocrinologist’s goal is to restore hormonal balance in the body.
Your doctor might refer you to an Infectious Disease specialist when:
- An infection is difficult to diagnose
- An infection is accompanied by a high fever
- A patient does not respond to treatment
- A healthy person plans to travel to a foreign country or a location where infection risk is higher
- Treating illnesses becomes a part of a patient’s overall care, for example, a patient with HIV/AIDS
In all of these cases, the specialized training and diagnostic tools of the Infectious Disease specialist can help determine the cause of your infection and the best approach to treatment.
A physician who specializes in internal medicine is referred to as an internist. Sub-specialties of internal medicine include:
- allergy and immunology
- cardiology (heart diseases)
- endocrinology (hormone disorders)
- hematology (blood disorders)
- infectious diseases
- gastroenterology (diseases of the gut)
- nephrology (kidney diseases)
- oncology (cancer)
- pulmonology (lung disorders)
- rheumat-ology (arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders
Internal medicine is a medical specialty which focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nonsurgical conditions in adults.
