Fatma Erbay Apaydın, MD

Fatma Erbay Apaydın, MD is a specialist in Infectious Diseases & Clinical Microbiology in the Infectious Diseases Department at Acibadem Bursa Hospital in Bursa. With more than 43 years in medicine, her clinical work centers on travel health, shingles, hepatitis diseases, lower respiratory tract infections and communicable diseases. She consults in Turkish and English and sees both local and international patients.

Dr. Apaydın studied medicine at Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine between 1983 and 1989. After graduating, she worked as a general practitioner at Bahşılı and No. 3 Central Health Center from 1989 to 1990, and in 1991 she joined the Mother-Child Health and Family Planning Center. She completed her specialty training in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine in 2003, and in 2004 she took up a position at Polatlı Duatepe Devlet Hospital. In 2006 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services, where she has continued her work in infectious diseases. She is a member of the Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Association (KLİMİK).

Clinical focus

Dr. Apaydın’s practice covers a range of infectious conditions that international patients commonly seek advice on. She evaluates and manages shingles, a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that may cause a painful rash and, in some cases, lingering nerve pain. She also assesses patients with hepatitis diseases, where the type of hepatitis, the stage of liver involvement and any previous test results guide the discussion of monitoring and treatment options.

Her work also includes lower respiratory tract infections, such as infections of the airways and lungs, and the broader field of communicable diseases, which involves diagnosing infections, considering how they spread and advising on measures to limit transmission. In addition, Dr. Apaydın provides travel health consultations, which may include a review of a traveler’s destination, planned activities and medical history in order to discuss preventive measures and the recognition of symptoms that would warrant medical attention during or after a trip.

How Dr. Apaydın works with international patients

Dr. Apaydın consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, for example laboratory and pathology results, X-ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound reports, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. For international patients who are unable to travel initially, a video consultation is available, which can help clarify whether an in-person visit or further testing is advisable.