General Internal diseases is a discipline which forms a foundation to all clinical branches of medicine. Most patients who consult with healthcare organisations have problems which falls under the interest of internal diseases. It has a wide scope including upper and lower respiratory diseases, hypertension, gastrointestinal system, thyroid, blood sugar, blood, oncology - cancer and rheumatic diseases. Internal diseases also include standing examination, overnight monitoring and treatment, emergency service and check-up services.

Department of internal diseases deals with first examination and necessary inspections as well as overnight staying patient treatments, consultations, pre-operation preparations and necessary interventions. Our patients can reduce future risks of potential diseases by being regularly examined and consulting with our doctors. A multidisciplinary system is applied in all departments of Dr. Suat Günsel University of Kyrenia Hospital. This system has also been integrated into the department of Internal Diseases. In our department, our patients are evaluated with cooperation of sub disciplines within this system to provide them better inspections and treatments by consulting with other specialists’ perspectives.

SUBUNITS OF DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL DISEASES

1. Rheumatology
2. Gastroenterology
3. Haematology
4. Nephrology
5. Endocrinology
6. Oncology
7. Intensive Care
8. Check-up and Preventive Medicine

Emergency Internal Diseases
Requests of patients from Emergency service who seek consultation from the service are answered, examinations and treatments are provided if necessary.

Rheumatology
They are musculoskeletal and joint diseases. In this unit liquids can be retrieved for inspection (arthrocentesis) and joint injections can be made for treatment purposes, and veinlet of hands and feet can be inspected under microscope (Capillaroscopy).

Gastroenterology
Gastroscopy for diagnosis of stomach, intestine and liver diseases, interventions such as colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, liver biopsy, ERCP are performed here and quickly move on to the stage of treatment.

Haematology
They are blood related diseases. Procedures such as plasmapheresis, bone marrow aspiration, bone marrow blood smear evaluation and biopsies are done.

Nephrology
Procedures such as hypertension, kidney and urinary tract disease treatments, kidney biopsies, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, temporary and permanent haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, temporary and permanent haemodialysis catheter placing and hemodialysis are applied.

Endocrinology
Treatments for hormonal diseases (Diabetes Mellitus, Thyroid diseases etc.) are performed in the department of Endocrinology.

Internal Intensive Care

The treatments of the patients staying overnight are performed carefully by specialist physicians and nurses.

Oncology
Diagnosis and treatment (Chemotherapy) of cancer patients are performed here.

Check-up and Preventive Medicine

In our preventive medicine service, after our specialist doctors determine potential risks, they will advise you on necessary precautions you may take.

Preventive medicine services provided in our department:

• HIV test for the risk group
• Sexually transmitted diseases test
• Blood pressure check
• Cholesterol check
• Diabetes scanning, treatment
• Thyroid functionality checks
• Osteoporosis scanning
• Obesity (excess weight) reason detection
• Hepatitis test for the risk group

Check-up services which are important parts of preventive medicine services in our department are carried out by patient specific programmes based on their age, gender and risk of illness.

Especially chronic diseases have no or low symptom periods where the disorders appear to be because of exhaustion and other problems. Permanent damage and symptoms may be experienced depending on the capacity of use of the organs. Check-up programmes are very important for the potential disease or the diagnosis of the already existing risk.

Regular check-ups help diagnosis of a disease without symptoms, early treatment, taking precautions for risk factors related to some diseases and early diagnosis of contagious diseases as well as preventing its infection around the environment.

Check-up programmes aim to keep the person healthy before the disease occurs by taking precautions, and they are extremely important in terms of life longevity and quality for the individual. Heart disease risk can be detected with a simple blood test and serious diseases like cancer can be detected at its inception. Therefore, individuals must be examined at least once a year by specialists.

What type of diseases does the department of internal diseases deal with?

• Diagnosis and treatment of Rheumatic diseases
• Tension (Hypertension)
  Endocrinology (Thyroid, adrenal and pituitary gland disease), Diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus)
• Metabolic Disease and Obesity (Cholesterol, high triglyceride, gout disease, other metabolism diseases)
• Digestive system disease (Ulcer, gastritis, acid reflux, colitis) Liver, gall bladder diseases
• Anaemia and blood diseases, (lymphatic system diseases) Diagnosis and Treatment
• Diagnosis and treatment of Infectious diseases
• Diagnosis and treatment of respiratory system diseases

COMPLAINTS REGARDING DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL DISEASES:

Difficulty in Breathing:

• Heart Deficiency
• Asthma
• Pneumonitis
• May be complaints of Anaemia and difficulty in breathing for many diseases.
• Other Lung Diseases

Chest and Back Pain:

• Heart Attack
• Lung blood vessel embolism
• Gall bladder or pancreatic infection
• May be prevalent in many cases varying from severe diseases such as Pneumonitis or simple disorders such as muscle pain.

Coughing and phlegm:

• Bronchitis
• Pneumonitis
• Reflux
• Sinusitis

Abdominal Pain:

• Appendicitis
• Intestinal or urinary tract infection
• Kidney stone
• Mediterranean Fever
• Nervous Colitis

Headache:

• High Tension
• Migraine
• Low blood sugar

Throat and Neck Pain:

• Tonsillitis
• Infectious Diseases
• Thyroid gland related Diseases
• Hematologic Disorders

Joint Pain:

Can be experienced in any rheumatic disease

Weariness and Lack of appetite:

• Anaemia
• Chronic Diseases
• Thyroid Diseases
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Can be observed in various disorders such as depression.

Abdominal Pain:

• Appendicitis
• Abdominal pain can be experienced in many psychological based diseases such as Mediterranean fever and nervous colitis or infections such as intestinal or urinary tract infections and kidney stones.

Weight loss:
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• Diabetes
• Thyroid Diseases
• Malignant cancer in any part of the body.
• Tuberculosis
• Loss of Appetite

Diarrhoea and Constipation:

Diarrhoea or constipation may occur in intestinal infections, colitis or intestinal tumours.

Abdominal Pain, Heartburn, Nausea:

• Ulcer
• Stomach diseases such as Gastritis
• Infection of Gall bladder or pancreas
• Urinary tract infections.

Hypertension:

It is the condition in which the tension remains 140/90 (14-9) mmHg or above despite regular periodic measuring after half an hour.

In case of hypertension:

1. All food must be salt free including the bread. If salt free bread cannot be found, it must be baked at home.
2. Some foods may be salty in nature (Pickles, various nuts, bologna, pastrami, cheese, olive, halloumi)
3. Salt must be removed from the table. This way, use of salt is slowly eradicated.
4. Regional salty cheese should not be consumed, as regional cheeses include high amount of salt.
5. Salt and tomato paste should not be used while cooking.
6. Unsalted products such as salt free olives or curd cheeses can be consumed. If the products you have bought contain slight amounts of salt, they should be left in water for a while.

Thyroid gland Diseases:

1. Iodine Deficiency: Goitre occurs as a result of the rising hormonal needs during pregnancy an Iodine deficiency. Goitre caused by iodine deficiency is endemic; meaning it is regional. Goitre is common in our country as the consumption of iodine is low.
2. Hyperthyroid: It is the condition over active thyroid gland for numerous reasons
3. Hypothyroid: This disorder occurs when thyroid glands hormone secretion is low.

It can be caused by varying factors.

4. Nodule: Some tissue changes called nodules may form on the thyroid gland. Goitres containing nodules are called Nodular Goitres. Nodules may be malignant or benign.
5. Thyroid Cancer: Changes occur in the structure called nodule inside the thyroid gland during thyroid cancer.
6. Thyroid Gland Infections: It is the microbial (rare) or autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland.

Rheumatic Diseases:

It is related to joint, muscle and connective tissue diseases which comes with Immune system changes.

Ozempic Treatment

One of the biggest problems of our era is obesity. Increasing stress as a consequence of modern life, irregular and unhealthy nutrition, easy access to fast food and processed foods, high intake of high-calorie snacks, and unfortunately the decrease in the mobility that the body needs cause a slowdown in the metabolic rate.

Excess calories not only lead to the hardening of arteries by building up of fat in the walls but also to being overweight as a result of storage of body fat that harms the tissues. Too much fat in the abdomen and around the organs is considered the main cause of insulin resistance. As the adipose tissue and fat deposits increase, it unfortunately leads to a vicious circle and the obesity process begins.

Obesity is not just an aesthetic appearance concern; it is also closely associated with health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, neurological diseases, and depression.
It can be determined whether a person is obese or not by taking his/her body mass index (BMI) into account. Individuals with a BMI >25 are considered in the obesity range.

The sooner this problem is resolved, the sooner protection is provided against obesity-related problems.

Some of the drugs discovered as a result of investigations provide weight loss by regulating the metabolism, breaking the insulin resistance, removing the fat before it enters the body, and reducing the appetite, causing fewer calories to enter the body. With the right diet, a sustainable exercise program, and individualized drug therapy in parallel with a diet suitable for the taste and culture of the people, it is ensured that patients lose an average of 12-15 kg in three months. This treatment, which has a 95% success rate, may not be suitable for some patients. It is very important to inform such patients about the problems that may be encountered during their follow-up and not to start the treatment.