Tricks that protect heart health in Ramadan

Giving information about the drug use of heart patients during Ramadan, Dr. Instructor member Okan Er said, “One of the questions that we wonder about in Ramadan, when we are hungry for about 14 hours, is how heart patients are affected by long-term hunger and thirst. Our main principle is that hunger is good for heart diseases in general. Especially our patients who take drugs in the morning and evening need to be more careful. A person who takes medication regularly can tolerate a drug that should normally be taken every 12 hours during Ramadan, by taking the morning dose in the last minutes of sahur and the evening dose at iftar. However, people who need to consume more than 1 medicine a day should definitely ask a cardiologist if they can fast or not.

“Especially diabetics should consult their doctor if they are going to fast”

Dr. Okan Er said, “In Ramadan, fasting is good for our high blood pressure patients in general. What we especially recommend to our high blood pressure patients is that they should avoid salty foods in iftar and sahur. Apart from this, it is also very important to take plenty of fluids, especially between iftar and sahur. As everyone knows, if fluid intake decreases, headaches and elevations in blood pressure can be experienced. Daily fluid intake should be between 1.5 and 2 liters on average. These recommendations are important both for high blood pressure and for people with heart disease. Also, you should stay away from smoking. In fact, if a person who has not smoked for 14 hours can get used to this situation, he can quit smoking with a little patience. It is necessary to turn the month of Ramadan into an opportunity in this regard. Finally, if we need to make a recommendation for diabetics who are very close to heart disease, we recommend that our patients with Type 2 diabetes perform their fasting prayers by consulting their doctors according to their diabetes status. Sometimes we have patients whom we do not find appropriate to fast. Therefore, such patients should be sensitive and consult a specialist.