AlGhamdi Khalid M, Khurrum Huma, Al-Natour Sahar H, Alghamdi Waleed, Mubki Thamer, Alzolibani Abdulatif, Hafez Dhafer Mohammed Y, AlDraibi Mohammed
Dermatology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Vitiligo Research Chair, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Vitiligo Research Chair, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Cutan Med Surg. 2015 Nov-Dec;19(6):570-9. doi: 10.1177/1203475415584867. Epub 2015 Apr 29.
Little is known about the prevalence and practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among dermatology patients in the Arab world. The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and attitudes about CAM, prevalence of its use, reasons for its use, and types of CAM used in dermatology patients in Saudi Arabia.
This was a national survey of various regions of Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, dermatology outpatients were interviewed using a questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics, acceptability, utilization pattern, and reasons for CAM use were elicited. Dermatology life quality index (DLQI) was obtained.
Overall, 1901 patients returned complete questionnaires out of 2500 distributed (76% response rate). Of these, 808 (40%) were CAM users, and the majority were woman (55.1%), with a mean age of 31.6±12 years. Most were literate (71.2%) and just over half were married (51.9%). Patients with acute skin diseases were found to be more likely to use CAM (P=.027). The mean DLQI score was higher (worse quality of life) among CAM users than among nonusers (P=.002). The results showed that 315 of 801 (40%) and 250 of 601 (30%) CAM users agreed that CAM methods are safer and more effective than modern medicine, respectively, and 83% will continue to use CAM in future. The most commonly used CAM modalities were vitamins, prayers, natural products, and herbs. Responses indicated that 379 of 803 (47.2%) CAM users did not consult their doctor before using CAM, and 219 of 743 (30%) did not obtain sufficient answers regarding CAM use from their dermatologists.
There is a significant use of CAM among dermatology outpatients in Saudi Arabia. In view of the common belief that CAM has fewer side effects than conventional medicine, dermatologists need to increase their awareness of CAM.
关于阿拉伯世界皮肤科患者使用补充和替代医学（CAM）的患病率及实际情况，人们了解甚少。本研究的目的是确定沙特阿拉伯皮肤科患者对CAM的知识和态度、其使用患病率、使用原因以及所使用的CAM类型。
这是一项对沙特阿拉伯不同地区的全国性调查。在这项横断面研究中，使用问卷对皮肤科门诊患者进行访谈。收集社会人口统计学特征、可接受性、使用模式以及使用CAM的原因。获取皮肤病生活质量指数（DLQI）。
总体而言，在分发的2500份问卷中，有1901名患者返回了完整问卷（回复率为76%）。其中，808名（40%）为CAM使用者，大多数为女性（55.1%），平均年龄为31.6±12岁。大多数人识字（71.2%），略超过一半已婚（51.9%）。发现患有急性皮肤病的患者更有可能使用CAM（P = 0.027）。CAM使用者的平均DLQI评分高于非使用者（生活质量更差）（P = 0.002）。结果显示，801名CAM使用者中有315名（40%）、601名使用者中有250名（30%）分别认为CAM方法比现代医学更安全、更有效，并且83%的人未来将继续使用CAM。最常用的CAM方式是维生素、祈祷、天然产品和草药。回复表明，803名CAM使用者中有379名（47.2%）在使用CAM之前未咨询医生，743名使用者中有219名（30%）未从皮肤科医生那里获得关于使用CAM的充分解答。
沙特阿拉伯皮肤科门诊患者中存在大量使用CAM的情况。鉴于人们普遍认为CAM的副作用比传统医学少，皮肤科医生需要提高对CAM的认识。
