Internists are primary care physicians who only treat adults, while general practitioners are trained to care for patients of all ages.

Some questions you can ask include:

Which screenings and tests should I get?

Do I need any vaccines?

How can I improve my health?

Which health goals should I set?

Can I stop using this medication or begin using less?

Internists typically perform a physical exam that includes:

Checking your general appearance, including your posture and movement

Listening to your heart, checking for a heart murmur, irregular heartbeat, or other unusual sounds

Listening to your breathing, checking for crackles, wheezing, or shortness of breath

Internal Medicine physicians see the big picture. Their deep training and knowledge of the entire human body and its organ systems give them a unique perspective of how everything works in unison. They analyze, consider and make connections from multiple data sets, and identify solutions for optimal health outcomes.

Nephrologists are physicians that trained in internal medicine, internists, and then pursued additional training in kidney disease. Nephrologists help take care of patients with weak or failed kidneys. They are the only physicians trained to provide dialysis for kidney failure. Nephrologists also are part of the kidney transplant team though they don’t operate.

GFR stands for Glomerular Filtration Rate. It gives an estimate of the degree of kidney function. GFR is a very important value for all patients with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease). Change in GFR is very crucial in the management of patients with CKD and therefore all patients should know their baseline GFR and stage of kidney disease.

The most common causes of kidney disease are hypertension and diabetes. These two diseases can affect every organ in the body. If not well controlled, either of these conditions can result in kidney failure and dialysis. Other diseases that attack multiple organs including the kidney are lupus, HIV and viral hepatitis.

Symptoms can include blood in the urine or urine that is foamy, fatigue, high blood pressure, weight loss, ankle swelling from retained fluid, anemia, nausea or vomiting. Kidney disease is often silent until late in the course and after severe damage has occurred.

Stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise. Talk to your doctor about ways to adjust your diet. Other important aspects of kidney therapy are careful regulation of blood pressure if you have hypertension, and tight control of your blood sugar if you are diabetic.Description goes here