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.
