Browsing by Author "Ates G."

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    Prevalence of asthmatic smokers: Turkish experience (PASTE Study)
    (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2014) Yildiz F.; Dursun A.B.; Disçi R.; Abadoglu O.; Atalay F.; Ates G.; Buyukoglan H.; Ceyhan B.; Ceylan E.; Deveci F.; Ediger D.; Ekici A.; Erdinc M.; Gemicioglu B.; Goktalay T.; Meral M.; Mungan D.; Ogus C.; Ozge C.
    Background: Although both asthma and smoking are major health problems worldwide, smokers are often excluded from asthma studies. Objectives: It was aimed to verify the prevalence of asthmatic smokers in Turkey and assess the effects of smoking based on clinical parameters, exacerbations and hospitalizations because of lack of national data about the prevalence of smoking among asthmatics. Methods: The study protocol was comprised of a retrospective questionnaire. The asthmatic patients were followed in the outpatient clinics of 18 tertiary hospitals selected from seven different geographical regions in Turkey. We evaluated demographic data, smoking habits, asthma-related diseases, respiratory function and emergency visits. Results: The study population included 1385 patients (M/F: 343/1042), and the mean age was 45.1±14.0 years. Current and former smoking prevalence was 11.4% and 15.1%, respectively. Smoker rates were higher in males and younger asthmatics compared with females and older asthmatics (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Smoking history ranged from 0.20 to 90 pack-years (the mean was 12.9), and smokers had a higher level of education compared with nonsmokers (P<0.01). Socioeconomically, the most developed region had the highest rate of smoker asthmatics (33.9%; P=0.014). There was an increase in the number of exacerbations in smoker asthmatics during the previous year, but it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: We showed that the smoking prevalence in Turkey was lower in asthmatics (11.4%) compared with the general population (44.5%). Nevertheless, every effort should be made to encourage asthmatics to stop smoking because smoking is a modifiable risk factor for adverse asthma health outcomes. © 2013 John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
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    COVID-19: vaccination vs. hospitalization
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Uzun O.; Akpolat T.; Varol A.; Turan S.; Bektas S.G.; Cetinkaya P.D.; Dursun M.; Bakan N.; Ketencioglu B.B.; Bayrak M.; Baris S.A.; Guner R.; Gunal O.; Nural S.; Deniz P.P.; Toprak O.B.; Ozkan G.; Gumus A.; Kerget F.; Ercelik M.; Ataoglu O.; Yuksel A.; Ates G.; Kutsoylu O.E.; Kose N.; Kizilirmak D.; Keskin S.; Gultekin O.; Coskun N.; Yilmaz E.S.; Uslu S.; Basyigit İ.; Ergan B.; Deveci F.; Yakar M.N.; Zuhur C.; Sagcan G.; Yuce Z.T.; Kuluozturk M.; Sezgin M.E.; Sezgin E.N.A.; Havlucu Y.; Cuhadaroglu C.; Kilinc O.; Boyaci H.; Altunay H.; Akti M.; Dursun Z.B.; Kalem A.K.; Isik S.A.; Akyildiz L.; Aykac N.; Almaz M.S.; Kokturk N.; Itil O.
    Objective: Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols. Setting: Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021. Sinovac was the only available vaccine until April 2021, when BioNTech was added. At the beginning of July 2021, the government offered a third booster dose to healthcare workers and people aged > 50 years who had received the two doses of Sinovac. Of the participants who received a booster, most chose BioNTech as the third dose. Methods: We collected data from 25 hospitals in 16 cities. Patients hospitalized between August 1 and 10, 2021, were included and categorized into eight groups according to their vaccination status. Results: We identified 1401 patients, of which 529 (37.7%) were admitted to intensive care units. Nearly half (47.8%) of the patients were not vaccinated, and those with two doses of Sinovac formed the second largest group (32.9%). Hospitalizations were lower in the group which received 2 doses of Sinovac and a booster dose of BioNTech than in the group which received 3 doses of Sinovac. Conclusion: Effective vaccinations decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The efficacy after two doses of Sinovac may decrease over time; however, it may be enhanced by adding a booster dose. Moreover, unvaccinated patients may be persuaded to undergo vaccination. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.