English-Speaking Endocrinologist in Lima
I'm Dr. Claudia Michahelles, attending endocrinologist at Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza. I consult in English in San Borja, a short drive from Miraflores and San Isidro — for thyroid disease, diabetes and weight management.
CMP 64627 · RNE 35168 · Peruvian Medical Board
If you've been putting this off since you arrived
Most of the English-speaking patients I see did not delay because their symptoms were mild. They delayed because they did not know how the system worked, whether their insurance applied, or whether they would be understood — and each of those is easier to postpone than to resolve.
So the practical answers, first: you can book a specialist directly here without a referral. You can have lab work done at a private laboratory without an appointment. Most international policies do cover outpatient specialist care, though usually by reimbursement rather than direct billing. And the consultation will be in English.
The clinical part is the same as anywhere. It is the logistics that change when you move countries, and the logistics are the part that is genuinely solvable in an afternoon.
When is it worth seeing an endocrinologist?
Endocrinology deals with hormones and metabolism, so its symptoms are rarely specific: fatigue, weight change, hair loss, disrupted cycles. That is why these conditions spend years being attributed to stress — or, if you have recently moved, to the move itself. These are the situations where a specialist evaluation usually earns its place:
- Persistent fatigue that rest doesn't fix
- Weight change in either direction with no clear cause
- An abnormal TSH, glucose, cholesterol or vitamin D result nobody has explained
- Irregular periods, persistent acne or excess hair growth
- Hair shedding, very dry skin, or intolerance to cold or heat
- Excessive thirst, frequent urination or blurred vision
- A family history of diabetes or thyroid disease
- A thyroid nodule found on an ultrasound
What I treat
The full practice covers all of endocrinology in Spanish. These three areas have dedicated pages in English because they are what English-speaking patients in Lima most often come in for.
Thyroid
Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's, Graves' disease and thyroid nodules — including reading lab work done here against the results you arrived with.
Diabetes
Type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. If your prescription is running out after a move, this is the fastest thing to fix.
Weight and GLP-1 treatment
Semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide, properly assessed and supervised — including taking over treatment somebody started on their own.
How it works, practically
Consultations are in English
The consultation, the explanation of your results and your written instructions are all in English. Prescriptions are issued in Spanish because that is what Peruvian pharmacies dispense from — I go through each one with you before you leave.
Bring your records from home
Photographs of old lab reports on your phone are perfectly adequate. Previous results are often more useful than new ones, because they show direction rather than a single point.
You'll get documentation for your insurer
Most international policies reimburse outpatient specialist care but require you to pay first and claim afterwards. Ask at the visit for an invoice and a clinical report — both take two minutes then and weeks later.
Appointments are 40 to 60 minutes
Long enough to go through a full history, your existing records and a plan. Endocrine problems are rarely solved in a ten-minute slot.
More detail on costs and reimbursement is in the guide to paying for specialist care in Peru.
Where the practice is
The consulting room is at Esteban Bentarelli 264, San Borja, Lima, Perú. San Borja is central and residential, roughly fifteen to twenty-five minutes from Miraflores, San Isidro and Surco depending on traffic — which, in Lima, is the only variable that matters.
If travelling across the city is impractical, or you are outside Lima entirely, a video consultation covers most follow-up and a good deal of first-time assessment. What it cannot do is examine your neck, and for a suspected thyroid nodule that matters.
Book a consultation in English
WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach the practice. Say that you would like the consultation in English, and mention if your medication is running low — it changes how we schedule you.