Hepatology is a medical field focused on liver, pancreas, and biliary tract diseases. Hepatologists are specialists who deal with genetic conditions, damage caused by viruses, alcohol abuse, blockages, bacterial infections, tumors, internal bleeding, and trauma. They work with other healthcare providers and may also be involved in research.
Hepatology is a branch of medicine focused on diseases of the pancreas, biliary tract and liver. Historically, this field has been viewed as a subset of gastroenterology. While hepatology is not yet a recognized medical specialty in many regions of the world, physicians may choose to focus solely on hepatology topics, and a specialist in this field is known as a hepatologist. Many hepatologists work in urban areas where there is a demand for specialist physicians, although some rural areas provide large patients who could benefit from the attention of a hepatologist.
The liver is often the focal point of hepatology because it is a critical organ and a surprisingly large number of things can happen to it. Hepatologists deal with genetic conditions involving the liver, such as enzyme deficiencies that inhibit liver function, and also treat topics such as damage to the liver, pancreas, or bile ducts caused by viruses, alcohol abuse, blockages, bacterial infections, tumors, internal bleeding, trauma, and so on.
Like other medical specialists, a hepatologist generally only sees patients when they are referred. Patients are referred to a liver specialist when their primary care providers believe they have a problem that may need specialist attention. This can occur when someone shows symptoms such as jaundice, ascites or viral hepatitis in their blood, or when a doctor has good reason to suspect that a patient may be suffering from alcoholism.
A hepatologist may work as part of a medical care team to provide care for a patient. For example, someone with a tropical bacterial infection involving the liver might benefit from the services of a liver specialist and a microbiologist. Hepatologists also work with surgeons to coordinate surgical procedures such as liver transplants, oncologists to treat tumors, and other health care providers as needed. Hepatologists may work in a hospital or private clinic, depending on the types of patients they tend to see.
In addition to being involved in patient care, a liver specialist may also be a research scientist. The liver is involved in drug processing, making hepatology a valuable area of expertise for someone employed by a pharmaceutical company, and hepatology researchers may also study topics such as diseases of the liver, pancreas, and biliary tract, looking of new treatment approaches, possible prevention methods, and early screening tactics that can be used to identify such conditions before they permanently compromise a patient’s health.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
