An internist is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of adults. People might choose an internist as their primary doctor for regular checkups and for treating illness.
Internists can further specialize in:
- Adolescent medicine (conditions and diseases common to teenagers).
- Allergy, or immunology (immune system diseases).
- Cardiac electrophysiology (problems with the heart's electrical system).
- Cardiology (diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels).
- Critical care medicine (the care of people who are in an intensive care unit, or ICU).
- Endocrinology (diseases of the endocrine glands, which regulate hormones).
- Gastroenterology (diseases of the digestive system).
- Geriatric medicine (conditions and diseases in older adults).
- Hematology (diseases of the blood and blood system).
- Infectious disease (complex infections).
- Interventional cardiology (procedures to diagnose and treat heart disease).
- Nephrology (diseases of the kidney and urinary system).
- Oncology (cancer).
- Pulmonology (lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and pneumonia).
- Rheumatology (immune system diseases and diseases of the joints).
- Sports medicine (the treatment of injuries to the bones, muscles, joints, tendons, or ligaments that result from physical activity).
Internists can be board-certified by the Board of Internal Medicine, which is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Last Revised | August 20, 2010 |
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