Project Description
General Medicine
A general physician, often called GP in short, is a medical practitioner who specialises in treating many diseases affecting the body at superficial level. A GP’s primary practice does not include surgery. A general practitioner can treat all non-serious ailments, including abnormalities of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, haematological and endocrine systems apart from others. These are a some of the conditions a GP can treat:
Cardiovascular Conditions
- Ischemic heart disease like angina or even a heart attack
- Hypertension including high blood pressure
Respiratory Disorders
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or emphysema
- Lung Fibrosis
Gastrointestinal Ailments
- Gastroenteritis
- Diseases of the liver including alcoholic liver
Neurological Abnormalities
- Epilepsy or seizures
- Dementia
- Cerebrovascular occurrences, like strokes
Endocrinological Diseases
- Diabetes
- Thyroid problems
- Pituitary ailments
Haematological Complains
- Anaemia
Most general practitioners develop a special interest in one of the medical conditions listed above. Though they continue to maintain a general medical knowledge in a broad manner, they often concentrate on the area, in which they have specialised expertise.
General physicians do very little testing themselves; they can check heart beats, the pulse, blood pressure, etc. But GPs are usually the first medical practitioners to know when other, more intensive tests are needed. They can arrange for all kinds of examinations that may reveal in-depth information about your condition.
These examinations usually include blood tests, urinalysis, electrocardiogram (ECG, semen analysis, etc. In the majority of cases, these tests involve third-party investigators like laboratory physicians. Certain diseases may require a biopsy where a tissue sample is extracted and sent to a pathologist for diagnosis. The GP may also recommend imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound or MRI, which are conducted by radiologists.
In other cases, your GP may refer you to another doctor, who specialises in your condition, for a more intensive examination. A cardiologist performs an angiogram; a gastroenterologist will check for endoscopy-related conditions; a respiratory specialist checks various aspects of lung function. The results of these tests are fed back to your GP who will suggest the further course of action.