Özgür ALTIN/ANKARA
The Corona Virus Outbreak caused hospitals to serve as a pandemic in our country as well as all over the world. In this context, some diseases could not be intervened temporarily. However, our physicians continue to work devotedly to answer all the problems of citizens.
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In this context, Assoc. Dr. Sercan Okutucu transferred it to our newspaper. Providing information about diseases such as heart and hypertension, Assoc. Dr. He stated that hypertension may vary according to the development of countries. Lecturer: “Actually, the prevalence of hypertension varies according to the development and economic income of countries. The most common hypertension is seen in the African continent with 35%. said.
THE FIRST PHYSICIAN OF TURKEY
Assoc. Dr. Sercan Okutucu conveyed the education he received in the field of medicine and announced that he graduated with high success and carried out studies in the field of heart disease. Lecturer: “I have been working as a cardiologist in a private institution in Ankara for the last 6 years. I graduated from Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine in 2006 with first place. In the same year, I came first in Turkey in the Medical Specialization Examination. I completed my specialization in Hacettepe Cardiology Department in 2011 and became an associate professor of cardiology in 2017. For the last 2 years, I have been doing my doctorate in valve diseases at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.” He said.
Is there an INCREASE IN HYPERTENSION CASE?
Recently, due to the Corona Virus Outbreak, many citizens are hesitant to come to hospitals, but other diseases are being looked at in places where there is no pandemic hospital. Okutucu continued his words as follows; “Hypertension is one of the most common diseases in the world. Recently, there has been a gradual increase in the incidence of hypertension. In fact, the frequency of hypertension varies according to the development and economic income of the countries. The most common hypertension is seen in the African continent with 35%. Hypertension is seen in approximately 15 million people in our country. Only 5% of these patients are treated with effective therapy. In addition, the prevalence of hypertension worldwide has doubled in the last 30 years.”
SILENT ENEMY HYPERTENSION
Indicating that hypertension is actually a silent enemy, Okutucu emphasized that it is a disease that can harm other systems if not intervened in time. The reader who defines hypertension: “High pressure of the blood in the vein to the vascular wall is called hypertension. In the long term, the effect of blood on the vessel walls causes damage to the inner surface of the vessel. Hypertension is also known as the "silent enemy" because of the damage it can cause to the kidney, brain, heart and vascular system without symptoms for a long time. systolic blood pressure systolic blood pressure; Diastolic blood pressure is also diastolic blood pressure. While an adult is at rest, the normal systolic blood pressure should be the highest 120 mmHg, and the normal diastolic blood pressure the highest 80 mmHg. If the patient with hypertension is above the ideal weight, it is recommended to apply a balanced diet program to return to the ideal weight. Salt consumption is restricted and fruit and vegetable consumption is increased. Foods high in saturated fat are excluded from the diet. Alcohol and cigarettes should definitely be stopped. Exercising regularly helps those with hypertension regulate their blood pressure. Medication is given to patients who cannot adapt to changes in lifestyle or whose blood pressure cannot be lowered despite the changes. said.
CORONA VIRUS AND HEART HEALTH
One of the most frequently asked questions by citizens during the Corona Virus Epidemic is whether the epidemic has an effect on heart health. Providing information on this issue, Okutucu said; “The Corona Virus infection, namely Covid-19, significantly affects heart health. Corona Virus infection is more severe and fatal in people with heart disease. In people with heart disease, Corona Virus increases the intravascular inflammation process, forming intravascular clots, triggering new heart attacks. can cause death. In addition, Covid-19 can also cause heart disease in people who do not have a previous heart disease, by triggering the diseases we call myocarditis, which is an inflammatory process in the heart vessels or an inflammatory process in the heart muscles. Emphasizing that everyone, especially heart patients, should follow the mask, distance and hygiene rules without exception, Okutucu continued his words as follows; “Heart patients against Covid-19 patients or hypertension patients It is very important to wear masks, pay attention to social distance and hygiene conditions. Patients should use their medicines without interruption. It is necessary to wash hands frequently. In order to keep the immune system strong, it is very important to sleep regularly, eat healthy, reduce excessive alcohol consumption, quit smoking and exercise regularly.”
STATUS OF THE HEART, VESSELS AND LUNGS AFTER CORONA
p>Reader, who also gave information about the situation of any permanent ailment in the citizens who caught the Corona Virus Outbreak and recovered, said; “One of the most curious questions about COVID-19 is whether there will be permanent damage to the lungs and other organs of patients who survived the disease or received intensive care treatment. The disease is a new situation for the whole world and There is currently insufficient data on the long-term effects on the human body. In small-scale studies, COVID-19 It is stated that there may be permanent damage to both the lungs and the heart after the surgery. However, large-scale studies to investigate the long-term negative effects of COVID-19 disease on the heart and lungs are still ongoing.”
EDUCATION TO AFRICAN PHYSICIAN CANDIDATES
Undeveloped Stating that they started an education project to help countries, Okutucu gave information about the program they carried out. Reader: “As you know, this COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways. One of them is education. For this reason, we started to do many activities on the internet in terms of education. As we do these with increasing frequency, we wondered if we could do something with our colleagues in Africa, our fellow doctors, and senior medical students. We started from the point of Nelson Mandela's saying that the most powerful tool you can use to change the world is education, and this idea came to our mind. We chose electrocardiography (ECG) as the subject of online education. EKG is a frequently used method for detecting vascular diseases of the heart and problems in its electrical system. It is a method that is at hand of everyone in many institutions, both in developed and developing countries. Therefore, we thought that it would be possible to touch the lives of many people with such an education. This project we are talking about is just one of the projects of the Online Cardiology Club, which conducts an online scientific activity that we established among ourselves. In this formation, Dr. Nurbanu Bursa, Dr. Alper Karakus and Dr. Duygu Koçyiğit has a great role to play, and I would like to thank them for that.” He said.
'THEY ARE MADE TO HIGH STANDARDS IN OUR COUNTRY'
Declaring that they support physician candidates studying abroad online and that Turkey has high standards in the field of health, The reader continued his words as follows; “I think Turkey is in a very good place in the field of cardiology. Most of the procedures done in America and Europe can be done in our country with high standards. I think that there will be a scientifically very active and dynamic new generation who adds the advantages of today's opportunities to the knowledge and experience we have learned from our esteemed teachers.” “When it comes to health tourism, there are many accredited health institutions in international standards in our country. Private, public and university hospitals, especially in Istanbul and Ankara, are equipped with high technologies. Advanced cardiological procedures and cardiovascular surgeries can be performed in many hospitals in Turkey. Therefore, we are at a point that can be considered good in terms of health tourism."
'I ATTENTION TO HYGIENE'
The Corona Virus Epidemic has affected healthcare workers the most. Expressing that they pay attention to mask, distance and hygiene rules in this context, Reader drew attention to hygiene. Reader: “We are experiencing extraordinary days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As health workers, we work hard to gain and protect health. However, we are at high risk. As a healthcare worker, I use personal protective equipment, especially a mask, and pay attention to hygiene. When I see a patient in the outpatient clinic, I wear a surgical mask, goggles and wear gloves. I especially pay attention to hand cleaning, I wash my hands frequently and I use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. To minimize the risk of infection when treating patients with suspected COVID-19 I use a gown, visor, gloves and N95 medical mask. In social life, I take care to wear a mask appropriately, pay attention to social distance and wash hands frequently.” He said.
'HUMANS ARE AT THE CENTER OF OUR BUSINESS'
He said that the health sector is a profession that requires sacrifice and that new physician candidates Stating that the bee should work with devotion by taking this into account, Okutucu continued his words as follows; “Medicine is one of the oldest and most sacred professions in human history, and it also requires a lot of sacrifice. My first suggestion to my young colleagues is to love people. People are at the center of our work and it involves intense social communication. You feel like you are part of the family of people you don|'t know, and you have to make important decisions with them when necessary. There is no financial cost to touch and successfully treat a person's most precious thing, their life.
Another suggestion to my young colleagues is to work passionately and be inspired by each other. There is constant change in the healthcare field and there is no limit to new knowledge. We need to constantly follow up-to-date information and renew ourselves. However, in cooperation with our colleagues around We need to act, inspire each other, and share our experiences. In this way, we can have a positive impact on each other's lives as well as touching the lives of patients and serve the common goal of human health.”