If you need treatment for liver disease, you might start with seeing a type of specialist called a gastroenterologist.

Gastroenterologist = doctor who treats the entire digestive system

Your gastroenterologist may suggest you see another specialist called a hepatologist.

Hepatologist = gastroenterologist who focuses on liver problems

Some of the conditions hepatologists treat are:

• Cirrhosis
• Hepatitis
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Your hepatologist may do tests to figure out what’s happening with your liver. These include:

• Blood tests, including tests that check liver function and enzymes
• Blood tests that check for viral infections, such as hepatitis
• Ultrasound or other imaging tests
• Liver biopsy

Even if you’ve had blood tests to check your liver, your clinician may want to do more testing to look for symptoms like liver scarring.

How do you know which doctor to see?

Start with your primary care provider. If needed, they can connect you with a gastroenterologist and/or a hepatologist.

The sooner liver disease is caught, the better your chances of a good outcome.

This educational resource was created with support from Merck.