Assoc. Prof. Burcu Bulum Akbulut, MD

Assoc. Prof. Burcu Bulum Akbulut, MD is a pediatric nephrologist at Acibadem Health Group, which she joined in 2017. Her work covers kidney and urinary tract conditions in children, ranging from urinary tract infections and vesicoureteral reflux to pediatric hypertension, childhood nephrotic syndrome, dialysis care and the follow-up of children after kidney transplantation.

Dr. Akbulut graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 2002. She completed her training in Pediatrics at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 2009 and her Pediatric Nephrology training at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 2013. She is a member of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association, the European Society for Pediatric Nephrology, the Turkish Society of Nephrology, the Pediatric Rheumatism and Kidney Diseases Association and the Pediatric Nephrology Society. Her publications, which appeared between 2013 and 2016 in journals including Nephron, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Transplantation and Acta Paediatrica, address vesicoureteral reflux and renal scarring risk after a first febrile urinary tract infection, urinary tract infections in children with horseshoe kidneys, HPSE2 mutations in urofacial syndrome, hypertension in children after renal transplantation, de novo amyloidosis in a renal transplant patient, and kidney and urinary tract anomalies in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of patients with CAKUT.

Clinical focus

A large part of Dr. Akbulut’s practice concerns pediatric urinary tract infections and the conditions that may underlie or follow them. These include vesicoureteral reflux, renal scarring, urinary tract infections associated with horseshoe kidney, and congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. She also assesses children with lower urinary tract dysfunction, including non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder and urofacial syndrome, conditions in which bladder emptying is impaired and which may affect a child’s quality of life.

Dr. Akbulut’s areas of expertise further include pediatric hypertension, including hypertension after renal transplantation, and childhood minimal change nephrotic syndrome. For children with advanced kidney disease, she provides pediatric dialysis care and pediatric kidney transplant care, including the follow-up of complications such as renal amyloidosis after kidney transplantation. The appropriate approach depends on each child’s diagnosis, age and clinical course, and is decided after a careful review of the individual case.

How Dr. Akbulut works with international patients

Dr. Akbulut speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for families who speak other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as ultrasound, MRI or CT reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the child’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients, allowing families abroad to speak with Dr. Akbulut before travelling.