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1 – Why is cardiac disease so prioritized in various platforms mainly media?
Approximately 55% of death reasons in Turkey arises from cardiovascular diseases. Diagnosis of these diseases is of vital significance. Persons with cardiac disease risk are determined with tests and potential disease can be prevented by precautionary measures.

2. What is the type of cardiac disease and is the same treatment administered to every patient?  
Heart can be resembled to two adhesive pumps operated by electricity. Fuel pipes of this pipe can be thought as veins of heart (“coronary arteries”),  electrical installation as conduction system and cylinders and pistons can be thought as the muscles and valves of the heart. If there is any problem in any part, table of the disease will become different. However, disease of any of these parts may affect other part and damage it. For instance, occlusion of cardiac veins may prevent functioning of a part of heart and damage the function of valve if it is closer to the valve. 

Cardiac diseases diagnosed and treated in this group include coronary artery disease (heart attack and heart spasm), aortic and peripheral artery disease (aortic and other vascular diseases), congenital cardiac diseases (hole in the heart and other vascular anomalies), cardiac valve diseases (congenital and rheumatismal valve diseases) arrhythmia and vascular diseases. 

3 – Can these diseases understood prior in other words before having an attack?
Yes. Especially diabetes and tension patients, men above 45 years of age, post-menopause women, persons with high cholesterol, past arthragia and cardiac disease history in the family (mother, father, sibling) are the persons that cardiac diseases are seen more frequently. Early diagnosis is significant for these people and examinations are of vital significance. 

4.Which complaints may be the symptom of cardiac disease?

 • Pain in chest in the form of pressure expanding to the arm, back or chin (Most patients define it as “A truck hit me”)
 • Pain in the stomach with sweating of the entire body 
 • Chest pain or being short of breath seen when eating, going out at cold weather or consuming heavy food 
 • Swelling of legs with dyspnea 
 • Dyspnea getting worse when lying back and stopping when sitting
 • Palpitation and syncope

5. When should I be controlled if above-mentioned symptoms are not seen?

 • If you smoke and/or consume alcohol for a long time
 • If you are diabetes or hypertension patient,
 • If your cholesterol is high,
 • If you had acute arthralgia,
 • If you are overweight with stressful and immobile life,
 • Heart attack in a person younger than 45 years old in your family, bypass history, balloon stent 
 • Above 45 years old for men and 55 years old for women, 
 • We recommend you get examinations done and not to ignore physician examination.

6. If angiography shows the embolism definitely, why is angio not requested for every patient?
Angio is a procedure performed with radiation and requiring a patient to stay at the hospital for 24 hours and an expensive procedure. Although risk of death is very low like one per ten thousand, it constitutes more risk than other examinations. For this reason, effort, echo, scintigraphy being easier and cost-efficient are used for persons having chest pain complaint. If a problem is found out, angio will be recommended. If tests are normal, the risk of vascular problem is very low. Clearly, angiography is a method used for the patients having disease symptom. 

7. Which methods are used for diagnosing valve diseases? Does every valve patient have to be operated?
The diagnosis of valve diseases is established by examination (murmur, in other words, strange sounds not heard usually) and echocardiography. Angio-like called “heart catheterization” method can sometimes be used.

Most of valve diseases may not show indications. Complaints are in the form of dyspnea or palpitation mostly. A person without any complaints may have the valve disease. Echocardiography plays a significant role to show them. Another subject to be emphasized is that valve intervention is not necessary for all valve patients. Acceptable valve leaking can be found in every patient in echocardiography. The priority is the maintenance of the life with valve of patient. However, if the valve disease begins to damage the heart, it will be clear in echocardiography, surgical procedure may be planned. The most significant factor determining the intervention time for valve diseases is the severity of disease and whether the patient has complaints or not. Generally the most significant complaints include having difficulty in climbing 2-3 stairs, not walking in straight road fast, not doing the old works as easily as before or not. Whether the surgical treatment is necessary or not is examined for the valve patients having these complaints. If the valve does not need to be replaced or repaired, the patient can be followed with medication and echocardiography. 

8. What should you do in the event of palpitation?
The most frequent complaint of the patients is palpitation. Every palpitation does not mean cardiac disease or heart attack. Stress, high fever, panic attacks, thyroid problems are significant palpitation reasons. If you face such a condition, apply to the closets healthcare institution as soon as possible and take EKG. EKG reduces money and time loss significantly, and allows diagnosis as soon as possible. If you don’t get EKG taken at that moment or you have no palpitation any more, the health staff will try to find out the arrhythmia within 24 hours with Holter EKG. If palpitation leads to black-out, syncope, dyspnea, chest pain and cold sweating, we recommend a cardiologist examination.

9 – What should you consider for the examination?
The purpose of your physician is to define you and your disease if any as soon as possible and in the best way. For this reason, you need to describe your complaint clearly like you speak in your daily life, say if you have another disease, if you are a patient with blood pressure, come by taking your medicine (if you don’t take your medicine, your blood pressure will be high!! It will not be useful for you), you should bring the previous tests and film reports, tell the name of the medication if it has side effects, bring its box, prescription, etc. Moreover,  don’t hesitate asking any kinds of questions to your physician.