Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) is a branch of medicine that diagnoses, treats and monitors various internal organ disorders in adults. Internal medicine specialists aim to improve the overall health of individuals by focusing on diseases of internal organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, digestive system and endocrine system. This specialty adopts a multidisciplinary approach to provide comprehensive health care, improving patients' quality of life and contributing to a healthy life.
All patients hospitalized at NPISTANBUL Hospital are screened for Metabolic Syndrome, Kidney and Liver Diseases, Electrolyte Balance Disorders, Hormonal Diseases (Thyroid disorders, etc.), Vitamin Deficiencies (Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Folic acid, etc.), Hematological Disorders, Circulatory System Diseases, Infectious Diseases, which are important in both disease formation and treatment selection.
What is Internal Medicine?
Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) is a branch of medicine that covers a wide range of internal organ systems in adults. This specialty aims to recognize, treat and manage diseases that occur in various internal organ systems such as heart, lung, kidney, digestive system, endocrine system and rheumatology.
Internal medicine specialists aim to optimize the overall health of individuals by focusing on a wide range of health problems, from metabolic disorders to infections, chronic diseases and rheumatic disorders.
In addition, these specialists provide holistic health care to improve patients' quality of life by adopting a multidisciplinary approach. Internal Medicine specialists have continuously updated knowledge and skills to provide the best solutions for patients' health using state-of-the-art diagnostic methods.
Which Diseases Does Internal Medicine Department Cover?
Internal Medicine is a branch of medicine that covers a wide range of internal organ systems. This specialty deals with various health problems such as respiratory infections, infectious diseases, hypertension, diabetes, thyroid diseases, cholesterol regulation, liver, stomach, gallbladder diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, anemia and blood diseases, rheumatic diseases and musculoskeletal diseases.
Respiratory Infections: Internal medicine specialists deal with diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the lungs, bronchi and bronchioles are carried out in collaboration with ENT and pulmonology clinics. Respiratory infections are known for their increased prevalence, especially during the winter months, and internal medicine specialists strive for early diagnosis and effective treatment of these conditions.
Infectious Diseases: Internal medicine takes a broader perspective than upper and lower respiratory tract infections and deals with infections in different areas such as urinary tract, skin, hepatitis, parasitic diseases, brucellosis, influenza, sexually transmitted diseases. Isolation is crucial in the treatment of infectious diseases and internal medicine specialists play a leading role in the effective control of such diseases.
Hypertension Internal medicine clinics use medical diet, lifestyle changes and medication to control hypertension, which causes blood pressure to remain above normal. Hypertension is a condition that can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke and kidney problems. Internal medicine specialists try to minimize such risks by regulating their patients' blood pressure.
Diabetes: Internal medicine specialists treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Insulin therapy, antidiabetic agents and medical diet play an important role in controlling diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that causes irregular levels of blood sugar and internal medicine specialists guide their patients to effectively manage this condition and prevent complications.
Thyroid Diseases: The diagnosis and treatment of diseases caused by irregular functioning of the thyroid gland is carried out in collaboration with internal medicine and endocrinology clinics. The thyroid plays an important role in regulating metabolism and therefore internal medicine specialists strive to optimize the overall health of their patients by ensuring effective management of thyroid diseases.
Cholesterol Internal medicine specialists use nutrition, lifestyle changes and medication to regulate cholesterol and other blood lipids. High cholesterol is a factor that can increase the risk of heart disease, and internal medicine specialists focus on maintaining heart health by keeping their patients' cholesterol levels under control.
Liver, Stomach and Gallbladder Diseases: Internal medicine treats damage and dysfunction in the organs of the digestive system. Conditions such as fatty liver disease, stomach ulcers and gallstones are of interest to internal medicine specialists. These specialists perform a wide range of interventions to protect the health of their patients' digestive system and treat problems.
Lung Diseases: Internal medicine specialists diagnose and treat lung diseases such as asthma, COPD and fluid accumulation in the lining of the lungs. Advanced diseases may be referred to pulmonology clinics. Lung health is an important part of overall health and internal medicine specialists work to optimize the respiratory health of their patients.
Kidney Diseases: Internal medicine treats conditions such as kidney inflammation, stone and sand formation, acute and chronic kidney failure. Kidney health is important for maintaining balance by filtering waste and excess fluid from the body. Internal medicine specialists use a variety of methods to maintain their patients' kidney function and effectively treat kidney diseases.
Anemia and Blood Diseases: Internal medicine deals with the treatment of rheumatic diseases such as soft tissue rheumatism, fibromyalgia, arthritis, inflammatory rheumatism. Rheumatic diseases can often cause joint pain, swelling and stiffness, and internal medicine specialists evaluate various treatment options to ensure effective management of such conditions.
Rheumatic Diseases: Internal medicine deals with the treatment of rheumatic diseases such as soft tissue rheumatism, fibromyalgia, arthritis and inflammatory rheumatism. Rheumatic diseases can often cause joint pain, swelling and stiffness, and internal medicine specialists evaluate various treatment options to ensure effective management of such conditions.
Musculoskeletal Diseases: Internal medicine diagnoses and treats complaints such as pain in different parts of the body and arthritis. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is also monitored by internal medicine specialists. Musculoskeletal health is important for overall mobility and quality of life, and internal medicine specialists help their patients take the necessary measures to maintain the health of these systems.
By adopting a broad multidisciplinary approach, Internal Medicine intervenes comprehensively in a variety of health problems and aims to improve the overall health of patients.
Which tests are performed in the Department of Internal Medicine?
In the Department of Internal Medicine, various tests and examinations are used to diagnose, treat and monitor diseases. These tests are determined based on the patient's complaints, medical history and physical examination. Internal Medicine specialists may usually use the following tests:
Blood Tests:
- Complete Blood Count (Hemogram): Evaluates the number of blood cells (red blood cells, leukocytes, platelets).
- Biochemistry Profile: Measures the chemical components of the blood, including assessments of kidney function, liver function, electrolyte levels, etc.
- Blood Sugar Tests: Fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, HbA1c are measured for the diagnosis and control of diabetes.
- Lipid Profile: Evaluates cholesterol, triglyceride and lipoprotein levels.
Urine Tests:
- Urine Analysis: Characteristics of urine such as color, density, pH and sediment content are examined. Provides information about kidney function and urinary tract diseases.
Imaging Tests:
- X-ray: Used to visualize the lungs, heart, stomach, intestines and other internal organs.
- Computed Tomography (CT): Used for detailed visualization of organs.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Used for detailed imaging of soft tissues, joints and internal organs.
Electrocardiography (ECG): Used to assess heart rhythm, heart rate and electrical activity.
ECHO (Echocardiography): Used to evaluate the structural and functional properties of the heart.
Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT): Measures respiratory system function and helps diagnose respiratory problems such as asthma or COPD.
Endoscopic Examination:
- Gastroscopy: Used to examine the lining of the stomach and duodenum.
- Colonoscopy: Used to examine the lining of the large intestine.
- Bronchoscopy: Used to examine the respiratory tract.
Immunologic Tests: Used to diagnose diseases related to the immune system.
Thyroid Function Tests: Used to evaluate the hormone production of the thyroid gland.
These tests are frequently used in the Internal Medicine Department to diagnose diseases, direct treatment and evaluate the general health status of the patient. During the treatment process, appropriate treatment plans are created based on the results of these tests and the patient's health status is closely monitored.
The Relationship between Systemic Diseases and Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases
Although psychiatric and neurological diseases are diseases of the brain, the brain works in interaction with all other systems of the body. Metabolic diseases, circulatory system diseases and endocrine system diseases affect brain functioning. For this reason, our hospital, which started to work with the cooperation of neurology-psychiatry-psychology, has also been serving in the field of Internal Medicine since its establishment.
In this way, our patients are comprehensively evaluated before and during the treatment process, just like our counterparts around the world who provide services at the highest service standards.
In addition to the differentiation of pathologies that contribute to the formation of the psychiatric picture by affecting brain functioning, the early detection and treatment of systemic pathologies that may affect the choice of treatment and the course of treatment has continued under the responsibility of the Internal Medicine specialty.
1- Metabolic Syndrome: It can be defined simply as changes in blood sugar, blood lipids and blood pressure that are not remarkable and do not cause complaints. It is a disorder that occurs with an increase in abdominal fat and is accompanied by familial predisposition. There are publications stating that some psychiatric diseases (Bipolar disorder, etc.) play a role in the formation mechanism.
It can also be expressed as the onset of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, which is in the priority risk diseases class of the World Health Organization. Apart from psychiatric diseases, Metabolic Syndrome is an important health problem as it increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The fact that it can occur with weight gain in predisposed individuals during the course of psychiatric treatments makes it compulsory to observe in this respect during the treatment process.
2- Kidney Diseases: Silent kidney diseases, which do not cause significant complaints until they reach the end stage, may be responsible for symptoms thought to be psychiatric and are important in the selection of Personalized Treatment. In the treatment of a patient with silent renal failure, if the drug is excreted through the kidneys, it is necessary to reduce the dose or choose another drug that is excreted through the liver.
Brain involvement of some connective tissue diseases affecting the kidney can also be diagnosed by detecting kidney disease in some cases.
3- Liver Diseases: As with kidney disease, liver disease is often asymptomatic. The disease may not be recognized until it reaches an advanced stage. However, detection of this condition is also necessary in the selection of Personalized Treatment. In the presence of liver disease, the dose of the drug excreted through this route is reduced or an alternative drug excreted through the kidney is chosen.
In cases such as alcohol and substance addiction, the extent of the damage to the liver is important for both the patient and the doctor in terms of behavior in the treatment process.
4- Electrolyte Balance Disorders: The concentration of elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in the circulation should be measured both for the complications that may arise in ECT applications and for the prediction of unexpected negativities that may develop during the treatment of the patient.
Since low and high levels of calcium and potassium affect the excitability of cells, their levels should be determined for both heart rhythm disorders and brain diseases such as epileptic seizures. In psychiatry, the normalization of these levels, especially during ECT, is important in terms of both treatment efficacy and the frequency of treatment side effects.
In addition, especially the elderly patient population can be adversely affected by small changes in blood sodium, and brain functions, which may be sufficient for the maintenance of daily life despite the decrease, may show rapid deterioration.
5- Hormonal Diseases: Especially thyroid hormones should be at normal levels for the proper functioning of brain cells as well as all body cells. An excess of thyroid hormones can exacerbate psychiatric illnesses such as mania, while a deficiency can aggravate illnesses such as depression.
Adrenal gland diseases may also facilitate or mimic the emergence of some psychiatric diseases (Panic attack-like picture).
