What is an infectious disease doctor?
An infectious disease doctor is a specialist who is focused on treating complicated bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases. They spend three to four years working as an internal medicine doctor before pursuing additional training specifically in the field of infectious disease. Infectious disease doctors see patients both in the hospital and in doctor’s offices.
Why would you go see an infectious disease doctor?
You should see an infectious disease doctor if you have an infection that requires weeks to months of treatment, multiple infections in a short period of time, or a bacteria/fungal infection that is resistant to traditional antibiotics. Some of the other common conditions that people see infectious disease doctors for are:
- Tuberculosis infections
- HIV/AIDS
- Hepatitis B and C
- Fungal pneumonia
- Meningitis
- Malaria
- Lyme disease
- Exotic parasitic diseases
Infectious disease doctors have a second role in the research and treatment of new and developing diseases. If you have an infection with a new, unexplained, or poorly researched disease, you may be referred to an infectious disease doctor for treatment. This was the case early in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and during outbreaks of other illnesses, such as ebola and zika virus.
What happens at an infectious disease doctor appointment?
An appointment with an infectious disease doctor is nearly identical to a normal routine doctor's appointment. They perform the same physical examination and ask many of the same questions. The majority of the unique work that infectious disease doctors do occurs behind the scenes. They often order specialized lab tests to look for infectious organisms and the changes to the body that they cause. These tests are routine blood tests that are no different than any other blood draw.
In some cases, special tests such as x-rays and biopsies (very small sections of the skin/lung/muscle collected for study) may be performed to monitor treatment or confirm a suspected disease. These are often done in the doctor's office.
How do you prepare for an infectious disease appointment?
One of the most useful things you can bring to an infectious disease appointment are medical records. It is important for infectious disease doctors to know what medications you have taken to treat an illness and any other similar illnesses you have had in the past. Many of these records are electronic and shared between doctors’ offices. If you are seeing a doctor outside of your usual hospital network, in a new city or country, or if you are unsure they have your records, bringing a copy of your medical records can be extremely helpful.
What are the four types of infectious diseases?
The four types of infectious diseases are viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. Infectious disease doctors treat all four of these. Some infectious disease doctors choose to specialize in the treatment of only one category of disease or one specific disease. This is most commonly seen in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C.
