Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 May;31:7-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.01.001. Epub 2018 Jan 5.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence, determinants and pattern of herbal medicine use among hypertensive patients in Freetown.
We conducted a cross-sectional study among hypertensive patients attending public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone between August and October 2016. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 24. We used Chi-square, Fisher exact two-tailed test and regression analysis for data analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Out of 260 study participants, over half (n = 148, 56.9%) reported using herbal medicine for the treatment of hypertension alone or together with comorbid condition(s). The most commonly used herbal medicine among users were honey (n = 89, 33.3%), moringa (n = 80, 30.0%) and garlic (n = 73, 27.3%). No significant difference existed between users and non-users of herbal medicine with regards to socio-demographic and health-related factors. The majority (n = 241, 92.7%) of respondents considered herbal medicine beneficial if it was recommended by a healthcare provider yet 85.1% (n = 126) did not disclose their herbal medicine use to their health care provider.
There is a high use of herbal medicines among hypertensive patients in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It is essential for healthcare providers to take heed of the findings of this study and routinely ask their patients about their herbal medicine use status. Such practice will provide the opportunity to discuss the benefits and risks of herbal medicine use with the aim of maximizing patient desired therapeutic outcomes.
本研究旨在确定塞拉利昂弗里敦高血压患者中草药使用的流行率、决定因素和模式。
我们在 2016 年 8 月至 10 月期间在弗里敦的公立和私立卫生机构对高血压患者进行了横断面研究。我们使用 SPSS 版本 24 分析数据。我们使用卡方检验、Fisher 确切两尾检验和回归分析进行数据分析。p 值小于 0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
在 260 名研究参与者中，超过一半（n=148，56.9%）报告单独或与合并症一起使用草药治疗高血压。使用者中最常用的草药是蜂蜜（n=89，33.3%）、辣木（n=80，30.0%）和大蒜（n=73，27.3%）。在社会人口统计学和健康相关因素方面，使用者和非使用者之间没有显著差异。大多数（n=241，92.7%）受访者认为如果草药是由医疗保健提供者推荐的，那么草药是有益的，但 85.1%（n=126）没有向他们的医疗保健提供者透露他们使用草药的情况。
在塞拉利昂弗里敦的高血压患者中，草药的使用非常普遍。医疗保健提供者必须注意到这项研究的结果，并定期询问患者他们使用草药的情况。这种做法将有机会讨论草药使用的益处和风险，旨在最大限度地提高患者所需的治疗效果。
