Hypertension

I have started my new position at İzmir Gazi Hospital. Gazi Hospital is one of the distinguished hospitals in İzmir. In 2002, Urology Specialist Op. Dr. Selim Amato and his colleagues named the hospital they founded "Gazi" with the ideal of defending the principles of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and carrying them to future generations. And how well they did. They are completing 25 years, a quarter of a century. When we look at the hospitals with trendy names today, Gazi Hospital is a hospital that refreshes our spirits and gives us confidence. In short, it is one of the most reliable hospitals in İzmir.

With 50 years of experience in the field of health, I welcome you to our hospital where I have begun serving our people with my background and experience in Obstetrics and Gynecology and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). I found much more than I expected at the hospital. The blend of solidarity, respect, and love among the staff adds a special beauty to the environment. It gives confidence to both the staff and the patients. 

After this brief advertisement and providing my address, a 55-year-old patient who came to the hospital said, "...I have very volatile, very variable blood pressure; it dances like a belly dancer. Up and down. What should I do? When I get angry, when I get hot flashes, when I get stressed, my systolic blood pressure reaches 16 or even 18. I came to you wondering if it might be an effect of menopause."

Hypertension means high blood pressure. It is a condition where the blood pumped by the heart into the body creates more pressure than normal on the artery walls. Like a garden hose, if the pipe is clogged to some extent or damaged, the incoming water pressure will cause the pipe to burst somewhere. The pressure of the incoming water, the faucet, and the hose watering the garden must work in harmony.   

It is known as the state where systolic blood pressure is above 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure is above 90 mmHg. Although the World Health Organization and leading health institutions accept 140 mmHg as the upper limit, I am in favor of evaluating blood pressure above 125-130 mmHg (12.5-13) as a candidate for high blood pressure. The time has come to take precautions to prevent damage to body organs in terms of high blood pressure. 

"My blood pressure rises when I get angry, when my motivation drops, when my morale is low. I went to an internal medicine doctor, and they gave me medication. I don't want to take medication." I told my patient, "Even if high blood pressure exceeds 140 mmHg once, that person should now be considered hypertensive, that is, having high blood pressure." 

High blood pressure is like a sledgehammer; if you hit a stone a few times, you cannot break it; the stone won't even budge. However, if you continue to hit the same spot at the same tempo for hours, there comes a moment when that stone breaks and shatters at its weakest point. In patients with high blood pressure, like a sledgehammer, with constant or intermittently recurring blood pressure spikes, a day comes when it can cause mild or serious damage to the most important organs of the body. At the top of these organs are the heart, eyes, kidneys, and brain. Every day, thousands of patients either have a heart attack (infarction), go to dialysis centers due to kidney damage, or wait in line in front of eye clinics due to macular damage. If it causes damage to the brain, there may be a risk of bleeding, stroke due to blood clots, becoming disabled, or losing one's life. 

In fact, the health system in Turkey is built on policies of "let the citizen get sick, we will treat them." There is no effort for preventive or protective health, and there is almost no money for it either. When health, like education, becomes paid, the result is frustration. You should be careful; if your blood pressure is high or even if it rises occasionally, see an internal medicine specialist or a cardiologist. At the very least, consult your family physicians. My suggestion is to try to keep your blood pressure below 140 mmHg. Even stabilize it around 125 mmHg. In diseases, precaution and measures are very important. You never know what will happen tomorrow. 

High blood pressure is very important not only in health but also in social life. Every day, there are arrests in the early hours of the morning; dozens of mayors and hundreds of bureaucrats are being arrested and put in jail in an unjust and unlawful manner. Thousands of workers are on the roads to Ankara because they cannot get their salaries. The tension of nearly one million teachers who cannot be appointed and retirees who cannot make ends meet is increasing as the days go by. Things are not going well in a country where the number of people walking the streets with an empty bag in their hands asking, "Can you buy me a loaf of bread?" is increasing. It is necessary to lower the blood pressure. You never know what high blood pressure will do. In democracies, the remedy is the ballot box. Clear the way for the country as soon as possible. The public's tolerance has worn thin. Consider this my advice...

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR