Hepatology is the branch of medicine related to the liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, today we have doctors specializing solely on this area, and they are called hepatologists.
Diseases and complications related to viral hepatitis and alcohol are the main reason for seeking specialist advice. More than 2 billion people have been infected with Hepatitis B virus at some point in their life, and approximately 350 million have become persistent carriers. Up to 80% of liver cancers can be attributed to either hepatitis B or Hepatitis C virus. In terms of mortality, the former is second only to smoking among known agents causing cancer. With more widespread implementation of vaccination and strict screening before blood transfusion, lower infection rates are expected in the future. In many countries, though, overall alcohol consumption is increasing, and consequently the number of people with cirrhosis and other related complications is commensurately increasing.
Endoscopic procedures for the care of liver patients are performed by well qualified and trained gastroenterologists. Complex endoscopic procedures like band ligation for bleeding varices in a cirrhotic, ERCP for a variety of biliary problems, sclerotherapy for control of ulcer bleeding etc are done. We also have capsule endoscopy and liver dialysis system (MARS) under the ambit of Hepatoenterology.
