Internal medicine deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the internal organs (without surgery).
Internal medicine thus addresses the structure, function, and diseases of all organ systems. As such, it is considered a universal link between the various medical disciplines.
The scope of internal medicine is vast. Consequently, specialists in internal medicine (internists) can specialize in many areas:
These include the vascular system (angiology), metabolism and hormones (endocrinology and diabetology), and the digestive organs (gastroenterology and hepatology).
There are also additional areas within diagnostics and non-surgical treatment. For example, all heart and circulatory diseases fall under the scope of cardiology. Other areas include the kidneys and urinary tract (nephrology), the respiratory system (pulmonology), and the skeletal system and connective tissue.
Internists can also acquire additional qualifications to become experts in addiction medicine or tropical medicine. Infectiology (infections and infectious diseases) also offers an opportunity for specialization.
General Information on the Internal Organs
The digestive tract is responsible for the intake, breakdown, transport, and absorption of food.
It consists of:
- Oral cavity
- Pharynx
- Esophagus
- Stomach
- Intestines, as well as
- liver, gallbladder, and pancreas
Medical specialists in internal medicine
Specialists in internal medicine treat diseases of the internal organs.
Common conditions affecting the digestive tract or gastrointestinal tract include:
- Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis)
- Cancer (stomach cancer, colon cancer, or liver cancer)
- Stomach disorders (stomach ulcers)
- Liver diseases (hepatitis, cirrhosis)
- Rectal diseases (hemorrhoids)
Subspecialties of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Gastroenterology deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and functional disorders of the stomach, intestines, and liver.
Among the most important screening and diagnostic methods used by gastroenterologists are endoscopic diagnostic procedures such as:
- Gastroscopy
- Colonoscopy, as well as
- Ultrasound examinations (sonography) of the stomach, intestines, liver, and kidneys
Conservative and surgical treatment methods
The treatment of nutrition-related diseases and disorders of the digestive organs can be conservative (nutritional medicine) or surgical (visceral surgery or bariatric surgery).
Experts in nutritional medicine are specialists in nutritional therapy. The goals are the prevention and treatment of obesity and nutrition-related diseases such as:
- food allergies or
- Digestive disorders
The range of services offered by nutritional medicine includes:
- Dietary modification therapy
- Weight-loss therapy and
- Development of personalized nutrition plans for obesity, nutrition-related diseases, and cancer
Subspecialties of Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology encompasses various subspecialties, such as proctology and hepatology.
Proctology focuses primarily on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of rectal diseases—that is, diseases of the rectum and anus.
Hepatology, on the other hand, specializes in diseases of the liver and biliary tract.
Proctology specialists treat conditions such as:
- Hemorrhoids
- Fecal incontinence, or
- anal fissures
Hepatology experts treat conditions such as:
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Fatty liver
- Gallstones
- Hepatitis or
- Malignant cancers of the liver and gallbladder
Visceral surgery specialists are responsible for the surgical treatment of diseases of the abdominal organs.
The scope of visceral surgery includes operations on the stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, and gallbladder.
In addition, visceral surgery also includes the surgical treatment of the pancreas, esophagus, thyroid, and parathyroid glands.
Bariatric surgery specialists focus on the surgical treatment of morbid obesity that can no longer be managed with conservative methods.
The goal of bariatric surgery is to help severely obese individuals lose weight.
Common bariatric surgery procedures include:
- Gastric band implantation
- Gastric pacemaker implantation
- Gastric reduction and
- Gastric bypass surgery
The diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases such as kidney failure, kidney cancer, or kidney stones are the responsibility of nephrologists.
However, disorders of water and electrolyte balance, as well as acid-base balance disorders, are also among the areas of focus for nephrologists.
The primary goal of nephrology is to stabilize kidney function.