Division of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul Univesity, İzmir, Turkey.
Dr. Suat Seren Chest Disease and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, İzmir School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences Turkey, İzmir, Turkey.
Rheumatol Int. 2023 Nov;43(11):2125-2130. doi: 10.1007/s00296-023-05384-5. Epub 2023 Jul 5.
Phytotherapy has emerged as a new concept and has quickly and widely spread in recent years. Studies on phytopharmaceuticals in rheumatology practice are very limited. In this study, we aimed to examine the knowledge of, beliefs about, and practices of using phytotherapy in patients who use biologics due to rheumatological disease. In the first part of the questionnaire, there are 11 questions, including the demographic data of the person, and in the second part, there are 17 questions that aim to learn the level of knowledge about phytotherapy and the use of phytopharmaceuticals. The questionnaire was administered face-to-face to patients with rheumatology using biological therapy who gave consent to participate. A total of 100 patients who were followed up with biological therapy were included in the final analysis. Approximately half of participants (48%) received any phytopharmaceuticals during their biologic treatment. Camellia sinensis (green tea) and Tilia platyphyllos were the most preferred phytopharmaceuticals. Gender, age, smoking, duration of disease, and duration of biologic treatment were not found to be associated with the use of phytopharmaceuticals. Of the 100 participants, 69% had information about phytotherapy, and the primary sources of information about phytotherapy were television and social media. Rheumatological diseases cause chronic pain, multiple drug use, and a decrease in quality of life, so the search for alternative treatment methods is frequent in these patients. Studies with a high level of evidence are necessary for healthcare professionals to inform their patients about this topic.
草药疗法作为一个新概念，近年来迅速广泛传播。风湿病实践中对植物药的研究非常有限。在这项研究中，我们旨在研究因风湿病而使用生物制剂的患者对草药疗法的了解、信念和实践。问卷的第一部分有 11 个问题，包括个人的人口统计学数据，第二部分有 17 个问题，旨在了解关于草药疗法和植物药使用的知识水平。我们对面诊的使用生物疗法的风湿病患者进行了问卷调查，这些患者同意参与。共有 100 名接受生物疗法随访的患者最终被纳入分析。大约一半的参与者（48%）在接受生物治疗期间使用了任何草药制剂。绿茶和椴树是最受欢迎的草药制剂。性别、年龄、吸烟、疾病持续时间和生物治疗持续时间与草药制剂的使用无关。在 100 名参与者中，69%的人了解草药疗法，而获取草药疗法信息的主要来源是电视和社交媒体。风湿病会引起慢性疼痛、多种药物的使用以及生活质量的下降，因此这些患者经常会寻找替代治疗方法。需要进行高水平证据的研究，以便医疗保健专业人员向患者提供有关此主题的信息。
