If you need treatment for your liver disease, you may start by seeing a specialist called a gastroenterologist.
gastroenterologist = doctor who treats the entire digestive system
Your gastroenterologist may suggest that you see another specialist, called a hepatologist.
Hepatologist = Gastroenterologist who focuses on liver problems
Some conditions that liver specialists treat include:
- cirrhosis
- hepatitis
- liver cancer
- liver failure
- Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MASLD), formerly known as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Your liver specialist may do tests to find out what is going on in your liver. These include:
- Blood tests, including tests to check liver function and enzymes
- Blood tests to check for viral infections, such as hepatitis
- Ultrasound or other imaging tests
- liver biopsy
Even if you have had blood tests to check your liver, your doctor may want to do more tests to look for symptoms such as liver scarring.
How do I know which doctor to see?
Start with your doctor. If necessary, we can connect you with a gastroenterologist and/or hepatologist.
The sooner liver disease is detected, the higher the chance of a good outcome.
This training material was created with support from Merck.
