Rivera José O, Ortiz Melchor, González-Stuart Armando, Hughes Harold
UTEP/UT-Austin Cooperative Pharmacy Program, El Paso, TX, USA.
J Herb Pharmacother. 2007;7(3-4):91-106. doi: 10.1080/15228940802142621.
The study objective was to compare the prevalence of herbal product use between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the largest U.S./México border population. 500 households on each side of the border were randomly selected following a strict procedure for household and participant selection. 1001 adult residents of selected households participated. Trained bi-lingual interviewers conducted semistructured interviews using a bi-lingual questionnaire. A chi-square test was used to compare populations when considering discrete variables and a t test was used for continuous variables. There was no significant difference in the overall prevalence of herbal product (HP) use between the El Paso (68%) and Ciudad Juárez samples (65%). El Paso residents used a greater number of HPs compared to Ciudad Juárez residents (P = 0.001). The most common HPs used in El Paso were chamomile, aloe vera, garlic, peppermint and lime. In Ciudad Juárez, they were chamomile, eucalyptus, garlic, linden tree flower and peppermint. In addition, intra-city variation in the use of HPs was observed. On both sides of the border, relatives were the most common source of advice regarding HP use, and most HPs were reportedly used in raw form. While participants in both groups believed that the HPs were effective and safe, a large number of HPs that could potentially be responsible for drug interactions, and side effects were identified. Very low disclosure rates to physicians were reported (33% in El Paso and 14% in Ciudad Juárez). A high prevalence of HP use was documented on both sides of the U.S./México border. Some significant variations in HP use were also identified. The possibilities of HP-related problems combined with low disclosure rates are of significant concern.
该研究的目的是比较得克萨斯州埃尔帕索市与奇瓦瓦州华雷斯城（美国/墨西哥边境最大的人口聚居地）之间草药产品的使用流行情况。按照严格的家庭和参与者选择程序，在边境两侧各随机选取了500户家庭。所选家庭中的1001名成年居民参与了研究。训练有素的双语访谈员使用双语问卷进行了半结构化访谈。在考虑离散变量时，使用卡方检验比较人群，对于连续变量则使用t检验。埃尔帕索市样本（68%）和华雷斯城样本（65%）之间草药产品（HP）使用的总体流行率没有显著差异。与华雷斯城居民相比，埃尔帕索居民使用的草药产品种类更多（P = 0.001）。在埃尔帕索市，最常用的草药产品是洋甘菊、芦荟、大蒜、薄荷和酸橙。在华雷斯城，它们是洋甘菊、桉树、大蒜、菩提树花和薄荷。此外，还观察到了市内草药产品使用情况的差异。在边境两侧，亲属是关于草药产品使用建议的最常见来源，据报道大多数草药产品都是以原始形式使用的。虽然两组参与者都认为草药产品有效且安全，但发现大量可能导致药物相互作用和副作用的草药产品。据报告，向医生披露的比例非常低（埃尔帕索为33%，华雷斯城为14%）。在美国/墨西哥边境两侧，草药产品的使用流行率都很高。还发现了草药产品使用方面的一些显著差异。草药产品相关问题的可能性加上低披露率令人高度担忧。
