Infectious Disease Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Jun 3;20(1):169. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02959-8.
There is some evidence that patients with liver diseases commonly use complementary and alternative therapies to address general and liver-disease specific health concerns. The purpose of this study was to assess and describe prevalence, patterns and related factors of herbal medicine use among adults diagnosed with viral and non-viral hepatitis in Kampala, Uganda.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 310 adult patients attending the gastrointestinal clinic in Mulago hospital referral hospital in Kampala. Data on prevalence, types and reasons for herbal medicine use was collected using standardized questionnaires and focus group discussions. Modified Poisson regression analyses were used to examine factors related to use.
Usage of various herbal remedies within 12 months prior to April 2018 was reported by 46.1% (143/310) of patients with 27.3% (39/143) of these reporting having used conventional and herbal therapies concurrently. Herbal remedies were used to treat various health conditions including hepatitis. Patients with hepatitis C virus infection (PRR = 1.16, p = 0.02) compared to those with hepatitis B virus infection, and those who believed that it was safe to use herbal and conventional therapies concurrently (PRR = 1.23, p = 0.008) had higher prevalence odds of herbal medicine use. Conversely, patients who had been newly diagnosed with hepatitis (PRR = 0.69, p = 0.03) compared to those who had been diagnosed more than one-year prior, had lower prevalence odds of herbal medicine use. Various types of local herbs were reported as most commonly used however most patients did not know the ingredients of commercially prepared herbal therapies.
A high prevalence of herbal medicine use was found among newly-diagnosed patients and patients with hepatitis C more likely to use herbal remedies after adjusting for other factors. Usage was influenced by the belief that herbal medicine is safe and effective. Health workers need to consistently elicit information about herbal remedy use. Research is needed on benefits, adverse effects and outcomes in patients who use herbal remedies to treat primary liver diseases in order to facilitate evidence of efficacy and product safety.
有证据表明，肝脏疾病患者通常会使用补充和替代疗法来解决一般健康问题和肝脏疾病的特殊健康问题。本研究的目的是评估和描述乌干达坎帕拉市诊断为病毒性和非病毒性肝炎的成年人使用草药的流行率、模式和相关因素。
对在坎帕拉穆拉戈医院转诊医院胃肠科就诊的 310 名成年患者进行了横断面研究。使用标准化问卷和焦点小组讨论收集了草药使用的流行率、类型和原因的数据。采用修正泊松回归分析来研究与使用相关的因素。
2018 年 4 月前 12 个月内，有 46.1%（143/310）的患者报告使用了各种草药，其中 27.3%（39/143）的患者报告同时使用了传统和草药疗法。草药被用于治疗各种健康状况，包括肝炎。与乙型肝炎病毒感染者相比，丙型肝炎病毒感染者（PRR=1.16，p=0.02）和那些认为同时使用草药和传统疗法安全的患者（PRR=1.23，p=0.008）使用草药的可能性更高。相反，与诊断超过一年的患者相比，新诊断为肝炎的患者（PRR=0.69，p=0.03）使用草药的可能性较低。报告了各种类型的当地草药，但大多数患者不知道商业制备的草药疗法的成分。
在新诊断的患者和丙型肝炎患者中发现了较高的草药使用流行率，在调整其他因素后，这些患者更有可能使用草药疗法。使用受草药安全有效的信念影响。卫生工作者需要持续询问关于草药使用的信息。为了促进对使用草药治疗原发性肝脏疾病的患者的疗效和产品安全性的证据，需要研究其益处、不良反应和结果。
