- Why General Medicine Research Matters
- Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders (Topics 1–20)
- Hypertension & Cardiovascular (Topics 21–35)
- Respiratory Medicine (Topics 36–50)
- Infectious & Tropical Diseases (Topics 51–70)
- Gastroenterology & Liver Disease (Topics 71–85)
- Nephrology & Rheumatology (Topics 86–100)
- Frequently Asked Questions
General Medicine PG thesis topics span the widest range of any clinical specialty — from lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension to tropical infections, organ-specific disorders, and multisystem conditions. Choosing the right MD General Medicine thesis topic is critical: it must be feasible within your 3-year residency, relevant to your patient population, and generate results that contribute to clinical practice. This comprehensive list of 100 research-worthy topics will help you identify a topic aligned with your interest and your institution's case load.
1Why General Medicine Research Matters in 2026
General Medicine — also called Internal Medicine — is the broadest clinical specialty, and its research touches every system of the body. MD General Medicine students have a unique advantage: the sheer volume and diversity of cases in a tertiary medicine ward provides rich material for prospective cohort studies, case-control studies, and clinical audits. With India's rising burden of non-communicable diseases alongside persistent infectious disease challenges, General Medicine research has never been more relevant.
The best General Medicine thesis topics combine a common clinical problem with a measurable outcome (e.g., mortality, hospital stay, complication rate) and a clear comparison group. Choose a topic where your ward admits at least 60–80 relevant patients per year.
2Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders Thesis Topics (1–20)
- HbA1c variability as a predictor of cardiovascular complications in Type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in newly diagnosed T2DM patients
- Correlation between microalbuminuria and cardiovascular risk in T2DM: a cross-sectional study
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): clinical profile, precipitating factors, and outcomes in a tertiary centre
- Hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar state (HHS): clinical presentation, management, and mortality predictors
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in T2DM: prevalence, severity, and associated metabolic factors
- Role of serum uric acid as a predictor of metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese patients
- Comparison of insulin regimens in poorly controlled T2DM: basal-bolus vs. premixed insulin
- Thyroid dysfunction in T2DM: prevalence, pattern, and association with glycaemic control
- Vitamin D deficiency and insulin resistance: correlation in non-diabetic overweight individuals
- SGLT2 inhibitor use in T2DM with CKD: real-world outcomes on eGFR and HbA1c
- Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in obese T2DM patients using STOP-BANG questionnaire
- Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA): clinical features and comparison with T1DM and T2DM
- Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): postpartum glucose tolerance and risk of progression to T2DM
- Lean T2DM in India: clinical profile, C-peptide levels, and treatment response
- Metabolic syndrome: prevalence using IDF criteria and association with cardiovascular risk scores
- Fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes (FCPD): clinical profile and complications in South Indian patients
- Dyslipidaemia patterns in T2DM and correlation with HbA1c and duration of diabetes
- Foot care knowledge and practice among T2DM patients: a cross-sectional study
- Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) vs. self-monitoring of blood glucose: glycaemic outcomes in T2DM
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3Hypertension & Cardiovascular Thesis Topics (21–35)
- Target organ damage in newly diagnosed hypertension: prevalence and predictors
- White-coat hypertension vs. masked hypertension: prevalence using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
- Resistant hypertension: clinical profile, secondary causes, and treatment outcomes
- Left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients: correlation with BP control and duration
- Hypertensive crisis: clinical profile, end-organ damage, and 30-day outcome
- Ankle-brachial index as a screening tool for peripheral arterial disease in hypertensive T2DM patients
- Serum aldosterone-to-renin ratio in resistant hypertension: prevalence of primary aldosteronism
- Atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients: risk factors and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score correlation
- Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in hypertension
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF): clinical profile and 6-month outcomes
- Acute decompensated heart failure: precipitating factors, in-hospital management, and 90-day readmission
- Adherence to antihypertensive therapy and its determinants: a cross-sectional study
- Hyponatraemia in heart failure patients: incidence, severity, and impact on hospital outcomes
- BNP/NT-proBNP as a predictor of outcome in acute decompensated heart failure
- Cardiovascular risk assessment using Framingham Risk Score vs. WHO risk charts in hypertensive adults
4Respiratory Medicine Thesis Topics (36–50)
- COPD exacerbation: severity assessment using DECAF score and correlation with in-hospital mortality
- Pulmonary hypertension in COPD: echocardiographic prevalence and clinical correlates
- Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): PSI vs. CURB-65 scoring for severity and admission decisions
- Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB): treatment outcomes and adverse effect profile in a tertiary centre
- Pleural effusion: aetiology, Light's criteria performance, and diagnostic accuracy of ADA for TB
- Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA): prevalence in obese adults and correlation with metabolic syndrome
- Bronchiectasis: aetiology, microbiological profile, and spirometric severity correlation
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD): clinical, HRCT, and PFT correlation in connective tissue disease-ILD
- Post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis: prevalence, HRCT patterns, and 6-month follow-up outcomes
- Lung cancer: clinical profile, staging at presentation, and factors causing diagnostic delay
- Eosinophilic lung disease: aetiology, BAL eosinophil count, and treatment response
- Haemoptysis: aetiology, severity assessment, and outcomes in a tertiary medicine ward
- Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS): clinical features and spirometric profile
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF): diagnostic criteria, clinical course, and antifibrotic therapy outcomes
- Type 2 respiratory failure: aetiology, ABG profile, and NIV outcomes in a medical ICU
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5Infectious & Tropical Diseases Thesis Topics (51–70)
- Dengue fever: clinical and laboratory predictors of severe dengue and plasma leakage
- Scrub typhus: clinical profile, diagnostic accuracy of Weil-Felix vs. IgM ELISA, and outcomes
- Leptospirosis: clinical spectrum, Weil's disease predictors, and antibiotic treatment outcomes
- Malaria: clinical profile of P. vivax severe malaria and comparison with P. falciparum
- Enteric fever: clinical features, antibiotic sensitivity patterns, and predictors of complications
- Rickettsial infections: clinico-serological profile and response to doxycycline in a tertiary hospital
- Tuberculosis with diabetes mellitus: clinical profile, treatment outcomes, and drug adverse effects
- Tubercular meningitis: clinical features, CSF profile, prognostic scores, and 3-month outcomes
- HIV-associated opportunistic infections: spectrum, CD4 count correlation, and ART outcomes
- Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess: clinical features, microbiological profile, and treatment outcomes
- COVID-19 in elderly patients: clinical profile, complications, and predictors of ICU admission
- Post-COVID syndrome: prevalence, symptom spectrum, and quality of life at 3 and 6 months
- Infective endocarditis: clinical profile, organism spectrum, echocardiographic findings, and surgical outcomes
- Melioidosis: clinical presentation, culture positivity, and outcomes with meropenem therapy
- Viral hepatitis: acute hepatitis E severity predictors and outcome in pregnancy
- Encephalitis syndrome: aetiology (viral, autoimmune, TB), CSF profile, MRI findings, and outcomes
- Antimicrobial resistance in bloodstream infections: organism profile, sensitivity patterns, and mortality
- Fever of unknown origin (FUO): final diagnosis, diagnostic workup yield, and outcomes
- Chikungunya arthritis: clinical features, anti-CCP and RF positivity, and 6-month joint outcomes
- Sepsis and septic shock: SOFA score performance, source of infection, and 28-day ICU mortality
6Gastroenterology & Liver Disease Thesis Topics (71–85)
- Acute liver failure: aetiology, MELD score, and predictors of spontaneous recovery vs. transplant need
- Alcoholic hepatitis: MELD vs. Maddrey discriminant function as severity scores and corticosteroid response
- Liver cirrhosis: Child-Pugh vs. MELD score in predicting 3-month and 6-month mortality
- Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP): clinical profile, organism spectrum, and cefotaxime outcomes
- Hepatic encephalopathy: precipitating factors, West Haven grading, and rifaximin treatment outcomes
- Acute upper GI bleeding: Rockall score vs. Glasgow-Blatchford score for risk stratification
- Helicobacter pylori prevalence in peptic ulcer disease and eradication outcomes
- Acute pancreatitis: Ranson's criteria vs. CTSI for severity prediction and outcome correlation
- Chronic pancreatitis: aetiology, exocrine and endocrine insufficiency, and pain management
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): clinical features, endoscopic and histological correlation in an Indian cohort
- Drug-induced liver injury (DILI): aetiology, RUCAM score, and outcomes in a medicine ward
- Ascites in cirrhosis: SAAG, bacterial DNA, and serum-ascites albumin gradient in diagnosis
- Hepatorenal syndrome: type 1 vs. type 2, terlipressin response, and 30-day mortality
- Wilson's disease: clinical spectrum in adults, ceruloplasmin levels, and chelation therapy outcomes
- Budd-Chiari syndrome: clinical profile, thrombophilia workup, and anticoagulation outcomes
7Nephrology & Rheumatology Thesis Topics (86–100)
- Acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalised medical patients: KDIGO staging, aetiology, and 30-day outcomes
- Contrast-induced nephropathy: incidence, risk factors, and N-acetylcysteine prophylaxis outcomes
- Lupus nephritis: ISN/RPS class, renal biopsy findings, and response to mycophenolate vs. cyclophosphamide
- IgA nephropathy: clinico-pathological features, Oxford classification, and progression to CKD
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD): prevalence of mineral bone disorder and correlation with PTH levels
- Hyponatraemia in medical inpatients: aetiology, severity, and outcomes with different correction strategies
- Hyperkalaemia in CKD: incidence, ECG changes, and treatment outcomes with patiromer/sodium zirconium
- Rheumatoid arthritis: disease activity score (DAS28), treatment response, and cardiovascular comorbidity
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): SLEDAI score, organ involvement pattern, and damage index at 5 years
- Ankylosing spondylitis: BASDAI score, HLA-B27 association, and cardiovascular risk assessment
- Gout: serum urate levels, tophi prevalence, and adherence to urate-lowering therapy
- Vasculitis syndromes: clinical spectrum, ANCA positivity, and renal outcomes in ANCA-associated vasculitis
- Systemic sclerosis: clinical features, ANA/anti-Scl-70 pattern, and pulmonary involvement
- Polymyositis and dermatomyositis: clinical profile, muscle enzyme levels, and immunosuppression outcomes
- Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome: thrombotic events, pregnancy morbidity, and anticoagulation outcomes
MD General Medicine students should check their medicine ward's admission register for the past 2 years before finalising a topic. Topics in infectious diseases and diabetes will have the highest sample availability in most Indian tertiary hospitals. For rare conditions (vasculitis, Wilson's disease), consider a retrospective study spanning 5–7 years.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about General Medicine PG thesis topics
The best topic depends on your ward's patient load and your guide's expertise. High-impact areas in 2026 include post-COVID complications, antibiotic-resistant infections, metabolic syndrome research, and outcome studies in sepsis or acute kidney injury. Choose a topic where your ward sees at least 60–80 relevant patients per year.
Prospective observational cohort studies are most feasible — you enrol patients during your residency and follow them for 6–12 months. Cross-sectional studies are even faster for prevalence topics. Retrospective chart reviews work well for rare conditions or outcome analyses over 5+ years.
For comparison studies (e.g., two treatment groups), you typically need 40–60 patients per group. For descriptive/prevalence studies, 80–120 patients are usually sufficient. Always calculate your sample size using a formal formula or OpenEpi — your IEC will require this in the synopsis.
Many universities in India now accept systematic reviews and meta-analyses as MD thesis submissions, provided they follow PRISMA guidelines and include a PROSPERO registration. This is a good option when primary data collection is not feasible within your tenure.
The most common tests used in General Medicine theses are: Chi-square and Fisher's exact test (for categorical outcomes), unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney U (for two-group comparisons), ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis (for three or more groups), Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test (for survival/time-to-event outcomes), and ROC curve analysis (for diagnostic accuracy studies).
Yes — PubMedico provides complete synopsis writing support for MD and DNB General Medicine students, including topic finalisation, literature review, methodology, sample size calculation, and IEC-ready formatting. WhatsApp us at +91 96642 99381 for a free consultation within 2 hours.