Overview

Internal medicine, also known as general medicine, is the medical specialty that involves treatment, diagnosis and prevention of diseases in adults. Physicians that specialize in internal medicine are known as internists or simply physicians. They are highly skilled in managing patients with multi-system disease processes. Physicians not only take care of hospitalized and ambulatory patients but also play a big role in research and teaching. As internal medicine patients are seriously ill and require more complex diagnosis and investigations, physicians do a major part of their work in hospitals. They also have subspecialty in diseases that affect particular organ systems. At Rapha health system patient setting while also providing care to hospitalized patients suffering from a wide range of diseases. Our internal medicine department is well equipped to manage chronic health conditions like heart diseases and diabetes and to treat acute illness like joint pain and respiratory infections. Our healthcare team consists of Board Certified physicians of internal medicine, nurses, pediatrics and geriatrics, medical assistants and highly skilled support staff.

Sub-Specialties

• Cardiovascular Disease (heart and vascular system)
• Transplant Hepatology
• Pulmonary Disease (lungs and respiratory system)
• Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (other glandular and metabolic disorders)
• Nephrology (kidneys)
• Infectious Disease (viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections)
• Interventional Cardiology
• Oncology (cancer)
• Rheumatology (joints and musculoskeletal system)
• Allergy and Immunology (immune system)
• Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
• Hematology (blood)
• Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Gastroenterology (gastrointestinal system, gall bladder and liver)

Medical Procedure

• Allergy Shots Allergy shots are injections a patient receives at regular intervals to stop or reduce allergy attacks. They are a part of treatment called immunotherapy and contain a small amount of the specific substance that trigger your allergic reactions.
• Allergy Skin Tests During an allergy skin test, your skin is observed for signs of an allergic reaction after exposing it to suspected allergy causing substances called allergens.
• Blood Pressure Test It measures the pressure in your arteries as the heart pumps blood. A blood pressure test can be a part of your routine doctor’s appointment or as a screening for hypertension.
• C-Reactive Protein Test It is done to check the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) as it increases when there’s an inflammation in your body. It is also done to evaluate risk of developing a coronary artery disease or narrowing of the arteries of your heart that can lead to a heart attack.
• Cytochrome P450 Tests Cytochrome P450 tests are done to determine how your body processes a drug.
• Hematocrit Hematocrit refers to the proportion of your total blood volume that is composed of red blood cells. This is done by a hematocrit test that indicates whether you have too few or too many red blood cells — disorders resulting due to certain diseases.
• Hemoglobin Test This test calculates the amount of hemoglobin in your blood. If the hemoglobin level is lower than normal, it is due to low red blood cell count or anemia which can be because of several reasons like vitamin deficiencies, chronic diseases and bleeding. If the hemoglobin level is higher than normal, it could be because of reasons such as Polycythemia Vera (a type of bone marrow disorder), smoking, living at high altitudes, burns, dehydration and excessive vomiting.

Common Conditions

• Common cold: Symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, cough, etc.
• Fever: It is a condition characterized by an increase in body temperature above the normal range of 97.7 – 99.5 degree Fahrenheit (36.5-37.5°C) due to the increase in the temperature regulatory set-point.
• Stomach ache:It is a common symptom that is associated with acute disorders or serious diseases. Abdominal pain can happen due to a variety of reasons like distention of an organ, inflammation, or a decrease in blood supply to an organ.
• Diarrhea: Diarrhea, also called loose motions, is a medical condition in which a patient has three or more loose bowel movements in a day. The loss of fluids from the body during diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte disturbances which can progress to a number of disorders like a fast heart rate, loss of skin color, decreased urination, decrease in responsiveness, etc.
• Headache: CA headache refers to the pain that occurs anywhere in the region of the head or neck. There are nine areas around the head and neck which have these pain-sensitive structures, namely the cranium, subcutaneous tissues, sinuses and mucous membranes, eyes, ears, muscles, arteries and veins and nerves.