Nigussie Tadele, Gobena Teshome, Mossie Andualem
Department of Pharmacy, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia.
Ethiop J Health Sci. 2013 Jul;23(2):123-30.
Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is a psycho-stimulant substance grown in East Africa. But its adverse effects and its prevalence are not well studied. The main aim of the present study is thus to assess the association between khat chewing and GI problems among students in Ambo University.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2010 on 1005 Ambo University students. Study subjects were selected using systematic random sampling technique, and data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was made using SPSS version 16.0 for windows package.
The mean age of the respondents was 20.79 ± 1.39 ranging from 18-30 years. Seven hundred twenty (71.6 %) of the study participants were males and 994 (98.9%) were in the age group of 15-24 years. The prevalence of gastritis was 580 (57.7%); constipation 235 (23.4%); hemorrhoids 54 (5.4%) and that of dental problems (carries, decay, filling and extraction) was 225 (22.4%) of all study participants. Gastrointestinal disorders were found to be higher among khat chewers, where 64(36.2%) of them had dental problems; 127(71.8%) symptoms of gastritis; 86(48.6%) constipation and 26(14.7%) hemorrhoids which demonstrated statistically significant association with p < 0.001.
The prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders was found to be higher among khat chewers, indicating that khat chewing could be a predisposing factor to gastrointestinal disorders. Community-based awareness creation about the adverse effect of khat use is thus recommended.
巧茶（Catha edulis Forsk）是一种在东非种植的精神兴奋剂物质。但其不良反应及其流行情况尚未得到充分研究。因此，本研究的主要目的是评估安博大学学生中嚼食巧茶与胃肠道问题之间的关联。
2010年1月对1005名安博大学学生进行了一项横断面研究。采用系统随机抽样技术选取研究对象，并通过自填问卷收集数据。使用适用于Windows系统的SPSS 16.0软件包进行数据分析。
受访者的平均年龄为20.79±1.39岁，年龄范围在18至30岁之间。720名（71.6%）研究参与者为男性，994名（98.9%）年龄在15至24岁之间。胃炎的患病率为580例（57.7%）；便秘为235例（23.4%）；痔疮为54例（5.4%）；所有研究参与者中牙齿问题（龋齿、蛀牙、补牙和拔牙）的患病率为225例（22.4%）。嚼食巧茶者的胃肠道疾病发生率更高，其中64例（36.2%）有牙齿问题；127例（71.8%）有胃炎症状；86例（48.6%）便秘；26例（14.7%）痔疮，p<0.001，差异具有统计学意义。
嚼食巧茶者的胃肠道疾病患病率更高，表明嚼食巧茶可能是胃肠道疾病的一个诱发因素。因此，建议开展基于社区的关于使用巧茶的不良影响的宣传活动。
