"Get regular health checks to protect your heart"

Cardiovascular Surgery Specialist Dr. Tamer Turan said that the heart, which starts beating in the 5th-6th week in the womb, needs oxygen and energy to continue its activity healthily and the vessels that feed this need are called coronary arteries. Stating that the cells covering this coronary artery wall need cholesterol to maintain their structural integrity, Dr. Turan said, "Excessive and waste cholesterol are removed from the cells; waste cholesterol that cannot be removed begins to accumulate between the cells and the vessel wall. Although the body cannot remove this accumulation, it tries to prevent it by depositing calcium on it, and as a net result, cholesterol and lime accumulate in the vessel wall. The vessel loses its elasticity and the disease we call Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis among the public occurs. When the coronary arteries are affected, the disease we call coronary artery, coronary heart or ischemic (blood flow disorder) heart disease occurs."

Dr. Turan, who drew attention to the fact that in cases of severe stenosis where the narrowing of the vein exceeds 50 percent, the blood flow through the vein is disrupted, said, "Blood can clot and completely block the vein. The interruption of the blood flow feeding an area causes the death of the heart muscle cells in that area and is called 'Infarction'. Depending on the characteristics or width of the affected area, conditions ranging from heart failure to sudden death occur. The heart muscle does not have the ability to renew itself or replace the lost muscle cell."

Dr. Turan listed the causes of this disease as "Genetic predisposition, hypertension, high cholesterol (especially LDL cholesterol), smoking, diabetes, familial fat metabolism disorders, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition (high trans fat and cholesterol) and stress."

Dr. Turan, who explained that the basic symptoms are chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness, nausea and sweating, dizziness or fainting, said that these symptoms vary from person to person and that 30 percent of patients do not experience any symptoms at all. He added that silent heart patients with no symptoms or complaints are either caught by chance during medical evaluations performed due to an attack or for any reason, and that this group usually includes women, the elderly and diabetics.

"Medical, interventional or surgical treatment can be applied"

Dr. Turan stated that the treatment is basically divided into three groups according to the severity of the disease, the severity of the symptoms, individual factors and general health status, and said that medical treatment is performed to reduce the workload of the heart by using medication, control blood pressure, balance blood cholesterol, and prevent clotting by increasing blood fluidity. He stated that interventional treatments are performed in angioplasty (balloon expansion) and/or stent placement in narrowed coronary artery sections in angiography rooms. Dr. Turan provided information about surgical treatments and stated that they are "bypass surgeries performed by transferring vessels taken from other parts of the body to the heart and placing them in a way that they will carry blood beyond the narrowed area." He explained that patients are usually connected to an artificial circulation called a heart-lung machine during these surgeries; the operation is performed by deactivating the heart and lungs; then they are disconnected from the machine by restarting it. He said that even if there are many vascular interventions in recent years, the surgery is performed while the heart and lungs are working without using artificial circulation; patients return to normal life in a short time with a rapid recovery process.

"Pay attention to these protective measures"

Underlining that the most important approach to avoid getting this disease and living a long life without having a heart attack if it does occur is "lifestyle changes and protective measures", Dr. Turan said the following: "Developing low cholesterol, low fat healthy eating habits, heart protective diets containing grains, high fiber, fruits, vegetables and low salt foods are suitable. Reducing smoking and alcohol consumption, changing a sedentary lifestyle, walking and exercise practices will be beneficial. Staying away from a stressful lifestyle, and benefiting from meditation and yoga practices if necessary will be positive. Regular health checks will provide a long and healthy life by catching the disease early and preventing a crisis. Regular cardiology checks are definitely recommended for individuals with a familial predisposition, after the age of 40 for men and after menopause for women."

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Editor: News Center