If you have hepatitis, you may be wondering who can treat yourhepatitis.
Well, a hepatitis specialist can help.
But do you know the difference between the different kinds of clinicians who can treat your hepatitis?
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In the past, someone might only see one or two types of clinicians listed there.
Primary Care Doctors
Most people will probably learn of their hepatitis diagnosis from their primary care clinician.
It is often the first level of health care to identify health problems, such as hepatitis.
Primary care providers are physicians who usually specialize in family medicine or internal medicine.
These providers will have the necessary training to manage most cases of viral and chronic hepatitis.
Hepatitis Specialists
Not everyone who has hepatitis needs to see a specialist.
There are three physician specialties with training in managing hepatitis.
All three begin their training as either an internist or pediatrician.
From this broad training, they further specialize in specific areas of medicine.
Others Clinicians
Each of the specialists described above can focus on either adults or children.
For example, a physician could be an adult gastroenterologist or a pediatric gastroenterologist.
The difference in focus comes from the choice of residency after medical school.
Usually, a physician enters a residency program immediately after graduating from medical school.
After this program, the physician can sub-specialize in a particular key in of medicine, such as gastroenterology.
Afterward, he or she can also sub-specialize in a particular jot down of medicine.
This means that several types of physicians come together to provide expert care.
It may be that in your case, you will be treated by several different sub-specialist physicians. '
One is not inherently “better” than the other.
Most hepatologists are board-certified internal medicine physicians, but they need not necessarily be board-certified in gastroenterology.
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