What They Do
A hepatologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and managing conditions affecting the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. Hepatology is often considered a subspecialty within gastroenterology, though it's also recognized as its own distinct area of focus given the complexity of liver-related disease.
What They Treat
Hepatologists manage a range of conditions affecting the liver, including various forms of hepatitis, fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis, a condition involving significant scarring of liver tissue. They're also closely involved in the medical evaluation and ongoing care of patients before and after liver transplantation, working alongside transplant surgeons throughout that process.
Training Path
Becoming a hepatologist typically requires completing a medical degree, followed by residency training in internal medicine, fellowship training in gastroenterology, and then further specialized training focused specifically on liver disease. This layered training reflects hepatology's position as a more focused subspecialty building on the broader foundation of gastroenterology.
When to See One
People are commonly referred to a hepatologist when blood tests show abnormal liver function, when imaging reveals changes to the liver, or when a specific liver condition, such as hepatitis, has been diagnosed and requires specialized ongoing management. Hepatologists also play a central role for patients being evaluated for or recovering from liver transplantation.
Background
Hepatology developed as a more clearly defined subspecialty within gastroenterology over the latter half of the 20th century, as growing understanding of liver disease and advances such as liver biopsy techniques and, later, liver transplantation created a need for more focused expertise specifically in liver-related conditions. The field continues to evolve alongside ongoing research into the many different causes and forms of liver disease.