Who’s who in endocrinology? A medical fieldwork guide.

What is an endocrinologist?

Endocrinologists specialise in the treatment of problems and diseases of the endocrine glands and hormones. They typically focus on the treatment of hormonal imbalances, with the overall goal of restoring a normal balance of hormones in a patient’s body. Common conditions treated by endocrinologists include menopause, diabetes, osteoporosis and thyroid diseases, while some sufferers – such as those living with diabetes – will need lifelong expert care.Endocrinologists treat patients of all ages, from babies right through to the elderly, and most of their work involves management without surgery and includes suppression and stimulation testing such as glucose tolerance tests, short synacthen tests and water deprivation tests. Endocrinologists also treat rarer conditions such as Growth Hormone Deficiency and Adult Onset Growth Deficiency, which is estimated to affect just 10 people per million annually in the UK.

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written by GKA
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What are the facts?

As of August 2016, there are 1,522 full time endocrinology and diabetes mellitus specialists in England and there were a total of 555 registrars recorded in 2015. Here at GKA, we have access to 635 endocrinology specialists on our expert panel, including endocrinologists, dieticians, nurses and paediatricians.

What are the sub-specialties?

There are a number of sub-specialties within this area of medicine that focus on the treatment and management of a variety of specialist diseases and conditions. These can include but are not limited to:

Endocrinology - a medical fieldwork overview

Paediatric Endocrinologists

Paediatric endocrinology is the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired conditions and issues in the endocrine system that affects children. Paediatric endocrinologists will often work with children who are dealing with conditions such as diabetes, hypoglycemia and other glandular-related conditions, as well as children who have problems related to their development, such as growth disorders or sex development disorders. They also work with children suffering from the rare Growth Hormone Deficiency, which affects one in every 3,800 births in the UK.

Reproductive Endocrinologists

Reproductive endocrinologists specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology and often work with patients who are struggling with infertility, helping them to identify the reasons they are struggling to conceive and provide treatment solutions. Reproductive endocrinologists focus on female patients and reproductive organs such as the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, and often work with patients suffering from physical abnormalities that make conception difficult. Treatments can include but aren’t limited to medication, surgery, artificial insemination and IVF.

Internal Medicine Endocrinologists

Endocrinologists specialising in internal medicine treat a broader range of patients than those in the more specialist areas of paediatric and reproductive endocrinology, and work with patients suffering from a variety of more general conditions such as hypertension, osteoporosis, menopause, thyroid diseases, high cholesterol and diabetes. In a number of cases, patients can experience more than one of these conditions because of their close relation to each other. Internal medicine endocrinologists also specialise in the treatment and management of some glandular cancers.

If you have been asked to carry out a medical fieldwork project focusing on endocrinology, why not download our panel book to find out more about previous specialist studies we have undertaken?

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