Overview

The Primary care of General Physicians involves:

• Diagnosing and treating a wide range of health disorders and referring to specialists’ opinions if necessary.
• Providing care and advice to the in-patients who are under the other specialists.
• Provide general and preventive medicines to adults of all ages.
• Manages physical conditions like asthma, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

Here are some of the conditions that are diagnosed and treated by the General Medicine physicians of Punya Hospital:

Fever - Fever is the most common disease affecting people. To evaluate fever, your doctor may ask medical history and symptoms. The doctor conducts a physical examination and recommends undergoing a blood test if necessary. For low-grade fever, the doctor may not prescribe many medications. For high fever, medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are given.

Acute respiratory infections - Infections involving the upper respiratory tract (ears, nose, throat, and sinuses) or lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchial tubes, and lungs), usually caused by a virus. Symptoms vary depending on which systems are affected. Antibiotics are necessary only if there is a secondary bacterial infection.

Asthma - A chronic disease that affects the airways. In people with asthma, the airways are inflamed and sensitive to allergens or irritants. During an asthma attack, the airways get narrower and less air flows to the lungs, causing symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. Asthma can be managed by avoiding things that bring on asthma symptoms and by taking medication to control symptoms and prevent attacks.

Chest pain - Severe, sudden chest pain — especially if it accompanied by pain in the left upper arm, sweating and nausea, or severe shortness of breath — requires immediate medical attention, as it may indicate a heart attack. Other causes of acute chest pain include pneumonia, bronchitis, gastritis, esophagitis, and asthma. Chronic chest pain can arise from many causes, including angina, hiatal hernia, gallbladder disease, ulcers, and chronic bronchitis. Internal Medicine physicians are skilled in determining the source of chronic chest pain and prescribing therapies to address the underlying cause or alleviate the symptoms.

Diabetes - A disease marked by high blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels are regulated through the actions of a hormone called insulin. Diabetes occurs when there is too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both. Depending on the type of diabetes, treatment may require daily insulin injections or drugs to increase insulin production, make insulin more effective, or slow absorption of glucose from the gut. Lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, exercise, and dietary changes, may also be important.

Thyroid malfunctions - Thyroid gland is responsible for the metabolic process in the body. Thus the disorders in thyroid gland slow down the body's metabolism rate. The most common thyroid problem is abnormal production of thyroid hormones which leads to conditions like hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. These problems may result in various physical problems such as weight loss or weight gain, excess fatigue and if it is left untreated it may lead to cancer.

Influenza - It is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, tiredness, and stomach symptoms. Complications of the flu can be very serious, including pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions. The best way to prevent the flu is to be vaccinated in the fall.

Migraine - It is severe disabling headache. In some cases a migraine is preceded by a warning sign (aura) such as flashes of light or a blind spot. In addition to intense pain, a migraine may cause nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. There is no cure for migraines, but the frequency and severity of migraines can be reduced with medication.

Apart from these diseases, high cholesterol, abdomen pain, cough, pneumonia, anxiety, and other diseases are covered and treated under general medicine.