When we injure ourselves or have a problem with our body, we go to the hospital for treatment. We visit internal medicine for a simple cold, but where do we go if we sustain a severe injury or have a problem with a specific body part? If we visit a general internal medicine department, in simple cases, treatment is possible. Still, if our body’s condition demands it, they might transfer us to a specialized department, which can delay treatment. Just as our bodies have various parts, hospitals have various specialized departments. So, which department should we choose to visit depending on the part of the sick body?
Pulmonology
The human respiratory system consists of the bronchi and lungs, which breathe air outside the body. Therefore, pulmonology is one of the internal medicine departments we visit when there is a problem with the respiratory system, such as chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumothorax, asthma, and respiratory distress. They mainly conduct lung function tests and X-rays that can look at the chest area, CT scans, and, depending on the case, bronchoscopy. Most patients in the intensive care unit use ventilators, so pulmonologists mainly handle intensive care medicine.
Gastroenterology
The esophagus takes in food from outside, and the stomach aids digestion as part of the digestive system. The small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder absorb and store nutrients in the body, detoxify, and excrete. Gastroenterology is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that occur in these organs. Patients with chronic gastritis, reflux esophagitis, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis, and other digestive diseases visit here. Depending on the site of disease occurrence, they also distinguish between gastrointestinal disorders and liver, bile duct, and pancreatic diseases.
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is a surgical department that diagnoses and treats various diseases in the nervous system, such as the brain, cranial nerves, spinal cord, and spinal nerves. They mainly handle surgical treatments for cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral nerve damage, and cerebral palsy. They mostly perform microscopic surgery using a microscope, endoscopic surgery, and radiation surgery and are expanding to pain treatments such as headaches. Compared to internal medicine, they mainly conduct CT scans and, MRIs, angiography, rather than blood tests or urine tests.
Endocrinology and Metabolism
The organs involved in the body’s endocrine metabolism comprise the brain’s hypothalamus, the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, and the pancreas. These endocrine organs are mainly responsible for the production and secretion of hormones, and the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism treats diseases that occur in these endocrine organs and abnormalities in hormone secretion. The division mainly concerns conditions related to hormones from the hypothalamus and diabetes related to insulin hormones in the pancreas. They treat diabetes, thyroid diseases, lipid metabolism abnormalities, obesity, and various metabolic diseases.
Pediatrics
Pediatrics is a department that handles internal diseases of patients from newborns to adolescents. The name was changed from pediatrics to pediatrics in 2007. The period of childhood and adolescence, when physical development occurs, differs from adults, so understanding the developmental process is necessary. Pediatrics deals with various diseases, often collaborating with other specialized fields for treatment. The sub-specialties within pediatrics include endocrinology, nephrology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, and cardiology.
Neurology
Neurology is a specialty that deals with diseases related to the entire nervous system of the human body. The nervous system, divided into the central and peripheral nervous systems, includes all nerves from the head to the toes. It is often confused with neurosurgery, but while neurosurgery focuses on surgical treatment, neurology is based on drug treatment, which is internal medicine. The department diagnoses and treats diseases such as dementia, headaches, other pain, numbness in the hands and feet, muscle atrophy, and encephalitis.
Allergy Medicine
Allergies refer to cases where many allergens we encounter daily cause excessive immune reactions due to an individual’s genetic predisposition. As the name suggests, allergy medicine is responsible for diagnosing and treating allergies related to allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, hives, etc. They also treat anaphylactic shock caused by allergies. In the case of chronic cough, it is good to visit internal medicine initially, but if it persists for more than 8 weeks, it may be caused by an allergic disease, so it is good to see allergy medicine.
Nephrology
Nephrology is a specialty that handles the overall diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to the kidneys, such as chronic kidney disease, pyelonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis, and large amounts of proteinuria. It is a department that patients visit when there is a problem with urine, when they swell well, and the swelling does not go away when there is a pain in the flank where the kidneys are located. They conduct simple blood tests and urine tests; in some cases, they require 24-hour urine tests, kidney ultrasound tests, nuclear medicine tests, and kidney tissue tests.
Infectious Diseases
This department diagnoses and treats infectious diseases caused by various microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Not only infectious diseases but also patients with fever of unknown origin, AIDS patients, MERS, Corona patients, etc., are treated. They also prevent and manage infections within the hospital and supervise the appropriate use of antibiotics. Unlike departments that deal with specific organs, they focus on the characteristics of microbes and the resistance of antibiotics and treat patients with infections in multiple organs, patients with resistant bacteria, and immunocompromised patients in infectious diseases.
Cardiology
The circulatory system, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the body, includes the heart, which pumps blood to give to the whole body, and vessels that transport blood to the peripheral blood. Cardiology mainly deals with diseases of the heart and blood vessels connected to the heart, pericardium, and valves and chronic diseases caused by blood flow, such as hypertension. Patients with pain near the heart or irregular heartbeat visit here. They conduct electrocardiogram tests, and depending on the case, they conduct ultrasound, exercise stress electrocardiogram, standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, and 24-hour electrocardiogram.
By. Oh Hye-in (press@daily.co.kr)
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