Conditions Your Primary Care Provider (PCP) Can Treat

Whether you have arthritis, a sports injury, or diabetes, your PCP can help.

PCPs treat many health issues and injuries. They treat people of all ages, genders, and states of health.

Here are some types of care PCPs offer and health issues we can treat.

General and Preventive Care

It's vital to see a PCP once a year, even if you feel healthy.

During your yearly exam, your PCP can check your general health and update your vaccines. And they can catch any minor problems before they become more serious.

General and preventive care includes:

Blood tests.
Health screenings.
Preventive care.
Sports and school physicals.
Vaccines.
Yearly physicals.

Urgent Conditions Your PCP Can Treat

You may contact your PCP for sudden or short-term health issues or injuries. A family medicine or internal medicine doctor has training in many areas.

They can treat health issues such as:

Colds, coughs, sore throats, and the flu.
Ear infections.
Insect bites.
Minor injuries.
Skin problems, like rashes.
Sports injuries.
Sprains, bumps, and bruises.
Urinary tract infections.

Find information on prevention, healing, and treating everything from the common cold to the influenza virus on UPMC HealthBeat.

Chronic Conditions Your PCP Can Treat

Your PCP can treat many chronic health issues. These are long-term illnesses and disorders that you need to manage on a day-to-day basis.

You may also see an expert for some of these, but they will consult with your PCP:

Allergies.
Arthritis and other joint and bone disorders and injuries.
Diabetes.
Heart disease, including coronary artery disease and heart failure.
High blood pressure.
High cholesterol.
Obesity.
Skin issues, like acne or eczema.
Substance use disorder.

Women's Health Concerns

Your PCP can diagnose and treat issues related to the female reproductive organs. In addition, you can see an ob-gyn, but your PCP can help manage care.

Some of the women's health conditions your PCP treats include: