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hepatology
Sign in to saveright|thumb|Fluoroscopic image of common bile duct Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, rapid expansion has led in some countries to doctors specializing solely on this area, who are called hepatologists.
Key facts
- Occupation.formation
- Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) OR Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) OR Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) OR Bacculareus Medicinae, Bacculareus Chirurgiae (M.B.Ch.B) AND Internal Medicine Specialiazation AND Gastroenterology Subspecialization AND Extra training as a Gastroenterologist in Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology
- Occupation.employment_field
- Hospitals, clinics
- Occupation.name
- Hepatologist
- Occupation.official_names
- Doctor, Medical Specialist
- Occupation.type
- Specialty
- Occupation.activity_sector
- Medicine
via Wikipedia infobox
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Scope of specialty
- History
- Disease classification
- Important procedures
- See also
- References
right|thumb|Fluoroscopic image of common bile duct Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, rapid expansion has led in some countries to doctors specializing solely on this area, who are called hepatologists.
Diseases and complications related to viral hepatitis and alcohol are the main reason for seeking specialist advice. More than two billion people have been infected with hepatitis B virus at some point in their life, and approximately 350 million have become persistent carriers. Up to 80% of liver cancers can be attributed to either hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus. In terms of mortality, the former is second only to smoking among known agents causing cancer. With more widespread implementation of vaccination and strict screening before blood transfusion, lower infection rates are expected in the future. In many countries, however, overall alcohol consumption is increasing, and consequently the number of people with cirrhosis and other related complications is commensurately increasing.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hepatology” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.